The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world, which is quite remarkable considering they haven’t won a championship-or even reached a conference final-in nearly 30 seasons. Since their Super Bowl XXX victory in January 1996 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cowboys have made the playoffs 13 times out of a possible 28 seasons before this year. Their furthest run in the postseason has been the divisional round, which they’ve reached six times. Prior this season, they had a cumulative regular season record of 244 wins and 207 losses (an average season record of roughly 8.7 – 7.4), the Cowboys have been stuck in mediocrity for almost three decades. However, that hasn’t stopped them from remaining the NFL’s most popular team.
Is a New Coach the Solution?
Being the head coach of the Cowboys comes with extra pressure, and Mike McCarthy, now in the final year of his contract, might not return unless he pulls off something miraculous like winning the Super Bowl. On ESPN’s “First Take“, analyst Stephen A. Smith gave Cowboys owner Jerry Jones some advice on finding a new head coach. Despite McCarthy’s strong regular-season record of 12-5 over the past three seasons, his playoff success has been minimal. With star players like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb signed to long-term deals, the Cowboys are set to compete in the upcoming years, though they still need to improve defensively. Smith believes that Bill Belichick is the perfect candidate, saying, “You do that, and the Dallas Cowboys are challenging for the Super Bowl next year.“
If Belichick, the head coach with the most Super Bowl wins in history, were to join the Cowboys, it would be a shocking move that few would have predicted 5-10 years ago. Smith’s suggestion isn’t outlandish, as Belichick has made it clear he still wants to coach and is eyeing a return next season. Beyond the Cowboys, there will certainly be more opportunities for Bill, who continues to stay relevant with his weekly appearances on various programs where he provides analysis and commentary, always backed by his wealth of knowledge. No matter who gets there first, they must fix the defensive problems they’ve had since last season’s playoff loss to Green Bay and continue to have despite the fact that nine months have passed.
Tough start will continue for the Cowboys
The Cowboys’ poor results in the past two weeks aren’t helping McCarthy’s chances of staying. In both losses, the defense allowed star running backs Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry to surpass 100 yards and score at least two rushing touchdowns. Dallas was outscored in the first halves by a combined 56-22. The bad news continues for the Cowboys, as they have only a few days to fix their numerous issues before their Thursday Night divisional matchup against the New York Giants. Fortunately for them, the Giants haven’t beaten the Cowboys since 2021, and while New York’s offense looked improved in their 21-15 win over the Browns, it doesn’t compare to the Ravens or Saints. However, the Cowboys will need to watch out for rookie wide receiver Malik Nebers.
After the Giants, the Cowboys face a brutal October schedule. They start with a Sunday Night game in Pittsburgh against the undefeated Steelers, followed by a home game against the dangerous Detroit Lions. After their bye week, they’ll take on the San Francisco 49ers in another Sunday Night showdown. If the Cowboys want to avoid ending the month with more losses than they had in all of last season (where they finished 12-5 for the third year in a row), their defense needs to improve quickly.
