Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract, and the expectation long has been that the Cowboys will move on after the season.
McCarthy was dealt a losing hand when the Cowboys did nothing meaningful in free agency and then expected more with less. Injuries that cost players like Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland, Zack Martin, Brandin Cooks, Trevon Diggs and Dak Prescott multiple games on the sideline didn’t help.
Prescott, who played eight games before a season-ending hamstring surgery, is campaigning for McCarthy to get a new contract with the Cowboys.
“Your coach seems like he’s playing on his last contract and [I’m] almost feeling helpless like I can’t help him in this situation, especially a guy you believe in so much and you believe in being your head coach,” Prescott told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. “Control what I can control, help and support Mike to every extent that I can.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last week that it’s “not crazy” to think McCarthy might return for a sixth season and beyond.
McCarthy has served as the team’s play caller the past two seasons, so his departure would leave Prescott to learn a new offensive system with a new offensive coordinator and a new head coach.
“I believe in him wholeheartedly,” Prescott said. “I don’t want to necessarily get into the nuts and the screws of it all obviously, but I think he definitely deserves a chance — another contract and a chance to coach this team amongst more influence. ‘On his terms’ may be a good way to say it.
“But I wholeheartedly believe in him.”
The Cowboys had three consecutive 12-win seasons before starting this season 3-7. They have won two in a row and have the Bengals, Panthers and Buccaneers in the next three games.
So, it’s not out of the question they could climb back into contention.
But, either way, the Cowboys will have to decide whether they want McCarthy back and, if they do, then it’s up to McCarthy to decide whether he wants to return.
A new record is a new record, even if it barely breaks the prior record.
According to the NFL, the audience for the three Thanksgiving games averaged 34.2 million viewers.
Last year’s record was 34.1 million.
In 2023, the slate consisted of Packers-Lions, Commanders-Cowboys, and 49ers-Seahawks. This year, it was Bears-Lions, Giants-Cowboys, and Dolphins-Packers.
The total, unduplicated audience (i.e., everyone who tuned in at some point for at least one of the three games) was 141 million. That’s also a record.
It’s not a surprise. For millions, football and Thanksgiving are synonymous. It’s part of the ritual, no matter the quality of the games. Even with a so-so Dallas game featuring backup quarterbacks and non-competitive teams, 38.8 million watched.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last week that the team expected to have defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence back for their Week 14 Monday night game against the Bengals, but the outlook was a bit different on Monday.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said that Lawrence will be working with the rehab group when the team returns to practice and executive vice president Stephen Jones suggested it will be at least another week before Lawrence returns.
“Probably a long shot for Monday night, but it’s not out of the question,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via the team’s website. “We’ll see how this week goes.”
Lawrence has been out with a foot injury since Week Four. He had 14 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in the first four games of the season.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow walked with a heavy limp after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, Ben Baby of ESPN reports.
Burrow said he got cleated on the first play of the game, which caused a gash.
He did not miss a snap, and the Bengals have an extra day since they don’t play the Cowboys until Monday night in Week 14.
But Burrow said he will wait to see how it feels this week before knowing how it will affect his work week.
“It’s always tough to tell right after the game. We’ll know more on Tuesday,” he said, via Baby.
Burrow played another great game, going 28-of-38 for 309 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, but the Bengals defense played another terrible game in allowing 520 yards and 44 points.
According to Baby, six quarterbacks in NFL history have averaged 275 passing yards per game and had 30 touchdowns and five or fewer interceptions through the first 12 games of a season. Burrow is the only one with a losing record and will become only the second of the six to not win NFL MVP.
America’s Team is no longer America’s Team. But a captive audience is a captive audience.
Thursday’s Giants-Cowboys game racked up 38.5 million viewers, according to Fox.
It’s the fourth highest audience for a Thanksgiving game ever. And it gave Fox a 14-percent bump over last year’s Packers-Lions game on Thanksgiving.
The Dallas game still dropped from last year. Commanders-Cowboys on CBS drew 41.8 million.
In 2022, Giants-Cowboys on Fox attracted 42.06 million. In 2021, Raiders-Cowboys broke 40 million, at 40.8.
Last year, the three Thanksgiving Day games averaged 34.1 million viewers.
