HC Mike McCarthy makes feelings clear on Cowboys’ urgency amid team's continued struggles

Mike McCarthy's tenure as the Dallas Cowboys head coach may be nearing its end as the team slides further into irrelevance. At 5-8, the team is one game away from "clinching" their first losing season since 2020, hardly what Jerry Jones had hoped for.

Still, with games to play and work to be done, the Cowboys have a show to put on for the next month. Even if it is ultimately essentially meaningless in pursuit of a 2024 Super Bowl, there is still plenty of entertainment to be had in delivering upsets.

McCarthy isn't giving up. According to The Athletic's Jon Machota, McCarthy is continuing to fight the good fight.

“We’re going to keep fighting. … The way we’re operating is the way you’re supposed to operate. We’re operating like winning teams do. We just got to get it done on the field.”

Of course, one could argue that as a 5-8 team, they are not operating like "winning teams do." The old Bill Parcells quote may apply here: "You are what your record says you are."

Exploring what went wrong for Mike McCarthy's Cowboys in 2024

Mike McCarthy at Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders - Source: Imagn

The Cowboys do have one huge excuse. Not many teams win big without their starting quarterback. Considering Dak Prescott put on a 12-win year last season and the Cowboys are struggling to hit half that number this season, all signs point to Prescott.

However, it wasn't the only thing that went wrong. Jerry Jones was repeatedly warned against hanging back in free agency and that lack of action is one factor to consider.

Before the season began, CeeDee Lamb and Prescott received significant paydays. The two stars had no buffer to adjust to their newfound wealth. They balanced managing the money and enjoying higher salaries while staying focused on the field. Maintaining their hunger to perform was crucial despite the added pressures.

Mike McCarthy, meanwhile, faced untold pressure to perform in a way to win over Jones and get his contract extension.

In other words, the contract mismanagement, Prescott's injury and a slow offseason likely shaped the 2024 season's struggles. There's still time for a winning offseason, but will the Dallas Cowboys pull it out at the 11th hour?