Mike McCarthy deserved better. He might be getting worse.
The Cowboys, after a Week 1 win at Cleveland, face a short-week road trip to New Jersey. If they fall to the Giants, and with upcoming games against the Steelers and Lions, the head coach could be in grave danger of getting the boot at the outset of the Week 7 bye.
Owner Jerry Jones has only ever fired a coach once during the season. When Jones relieved Wade Phillips of his duties during the 2010 season, Jones had heir apparent Jason Garrett ready to go. This time around, who would take over for McCarthy?
The obvious choice is my good friend Mike Zimmer. But the defense currently stinks. That would make it harder to give Zimmer the reins.
Maybe it would be special-teams coordinator John Fassel; he served as the interim head coach in L.A. after the in-season firing of Jeff Fisher, eight years ago.
Regardless, a loss tonight could make the wheels come off. Dallas will be underdogs next Sunday night in Pittsburgh. The following Sunday, there could be a Honolulu blue takeover in Arlington, with the Lions coming back to town. That 1-2 record could easily become 1-5.
It doesn’t help matters that McCarthy is in the last year of his contract. It doesn’t help that Jones acted as if the offseason didn’t start until Labor Day. It doesn’t help that the Cowboys have a flimsy defense against the run.
It won’t matter, if/when Jerry decides to make a change. And that change could be coming, if the Cowboys make it through six games with five losses — and a very small margin for error over the balance of the season.