Coming off a 47-9 humbling at the hands of the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy took the holistic view of his club's future.
"At the end of the day, if we totally don't believe it's about us, it'll always be about us, and play to who we are, what we do, how we do it, then we're not going to get to where we want to go," McCarthy said Monday, via the team's official website. "And I believe we will. I think this is an opportunity that we relish, I know I relish it, and I think they do too."
Sunday's 38-point loss was the largest home defeat since 1988 (43-3 loss to Minnesota), the year before Jerry Jones took over the club.
The loss dropped the Cowboys to 0-3 at home in 2024. Dating back to last season's playoff loss, Dallas has dropped their past four home bouts, allowing 41.8 points per game and trailing by at least 22 points in each contest. The Cowboys have allowed 167 points in their last four home games, the third-most points allowed by any team in a span of four home games in NFL history.
Injuries have played a key role in decimating the defense. However, McCarthy views the road ahead as an opportunity for his young players to grow.
"So this is a place that a lot of good can come out of it. Been here before. And I think this is a really good opportunity for our leadership. I think it's an excellent opportunity for our young guys to continue to play," he said. "It's an excellent opportunity for those guys to build off some of the things they have done well. Because this will pay forward. In my experience it always has. When you play young players this much and play this many different players this much, I think the long game definitely has a chance to be very bright."
It's the fourth time McCarthy has led a club to a 3-3 record to open the season, his first time with the Cowboys. In Green Bay, his 3-3 2010 team went on to win the Super Bowl. The 2012 squad made the playoffs, and the 2008 version finished 6-10, losing seven of its final nine games.
After Sunday's demoralizing loss, Jones dismissed questions about McCarthy's future. In the final year of his contract, the coach isn't fretting about that specific future.
"I think it's just part of the business," McCarthy said when asked how he tunes out the noise regarding his job security. "When people ask me about really anything with the team, part of working here, it's part of the business."
Part of the business is to stack wins, which McCarthy hasn't done at home of late. If the losses continue to mount, particularly of the embarrassing variety, Jones' answer to those questions could begin to change.
