There is no team in the NFL in 2024 that is more enigmatic, intriguing and potentially volatile than the Cowboys.
This team is loaded with talent, winning 12 games in each of the past three seasons, but they are one more disappointing finish in the postseason and they are out.
The Jets, who haven't been to the playoffs in 13 years, and other lower-ranked NFL teams like the Panthers, Commanders and Cardinals are sure to have similar problems.
But unless the Cowboys not only make the playoffs but also make a strong postseason run (including their first NFC Championship Game appearance in 30 years), head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott are likely to be fired.
That's a strong statement considering McCarthy is 41-25 as the Cowboys' coach, leading the team to the playoffs each of the past three seasons and winning the NFC East twice, and Prescott is 73-41 as a Dallas starter, leading the league with 36 touchdowns and just nine interceptions last season.
Only Andy Reid has more wins over the past three regular seasons, with 37, but Reid holds the distinction of having led the Chiefs to two Super Bowl victories in that span.
As for Prescott, who has thrown 96 touchdowns and 34 interceptions over the past three seasons, the list of quarterbacks who have outperformed him in that span is very short. The problem is that while Prescott has performed well in the regular season, he is 2-5 in the postseason.
This postseason situation has been pretty frustrating for team owner Jerry Jones. Remember what the late Jets owner Leon Hess famously said the day he hired Rich Kotite?
“I'm 80 years old and I want results now,” Hess bragged on that day in January 1995, the last year the Cowboys made it to the Super Bowl.
Well, Jones is 81 and demands results ***** now *****.
He has not approved of a contract extension for Prescott, even though the rookie has led the team to a 13-3 record since being drafted in 2016 and has become the face of the team.
Jones also has not approved a contract extension for McCarthy, meaning the starting quarterback, head coach and all of the staff are in lame-duck status as they enter this season in the final years of their respective contracts.
By his own admission, Jones is still hurt by the Cowboys' 48-32 loss at home to the Packers in the wild-card round last season. Jones told DLLS' Clarence Hill that the loss to the Packers “put a spotlight on everything we do.”
The Cowboys, who open their season at Cleveland on Sunday, made few changes to their team from 2023 and essentially fielded the same core group in 2024.
That leaves questions on the offensive line after left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz left in free agency, as well as at running back, with an aging Ezekiel Elliott returning for his second stint with Dallas and unproven Rico Dowdle expected to share the carries.
Jones, who also serves as the team's general manager, essentially put the onus on McCarthy to right last year's mistakes.
“Everybody is upset about what happened against Green Bay,” Jones told DLLS. “Everybody's probably going to be upset about it until kickoff against Cleveland.”
McCarthy said he has a 21-game plan for his team — 17 regular season games and four postseason games, with the Super Bowl being the 21st game.
The Cowboys likely need to get to at least the 20th game with that plan or McCarthy, Prescott and others will depart and Jones will hit 82 and essentially have to start it all over again.
The coming months are set to be fascinating in Dallas.
