Generally speaking, when a team sits multiple games below .500 through Week 15, despite entering the year with high expectations, jobs are in jeopardy. That might not be the case in Dallas this offseason.
The Cowboys are 6-8 entering the final three games of the season. They’ve been without Dak Prescott since he was injured on Nov. 3 in a loss to Atlanta – which at that point put the Cowboys at 3-5 – and they’ve gone .500 since with Cooper Rush as the starter.
Obviously, the loss of Prescott is a big one, and one of many substantial injuries to key players for the Cowboys. If ever there was a team with an injury excuse, it would be the Cowboys.
That seems to be important context for Jerry Jones as he charts a course for Dallas in 2025 and beyond. Head coach Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract, as is defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who signed with the Cowboys in February on a one-year deal. At one point this season, it seemed plausible McCarthy wouldn’t survive the year, an idea Jones quickly squashed.
Despite the opportunity to very easily go in a different direction, it does seem possible, if not probable in moments, that McCarthy and Zimmer could be back next season. Troy Aikman, someone whose opinion Jones greatly respects, even said on 105.3 The Fan he thinks McCarthy will be coaching the Cowboys in 2025. Jones was asked Tuesday in his weekly appearance on Shan & RJ if he sees the statuses of McCarthy and Zimmer as connected.
“Well in a way I do, especially after the last ballgames," Jones said. "But I think you’re seeing the best of Mike Zimmer -- I shouldn’t say that, you’re beginning to see some of the best, and maybe the best is still ahead of us. But he’s been real impressive now putting that defense together with the attrition that we’ve had with availability with our players. So, I give him that.
“With (McCarthy), I don’t know how you cannot say that his team has shown they’ll handle adversity and he can get you there with the injury situation impacting the availability of those players – I hate to keep repeating that, but it’s so obvious – and yet, having that team playing at the level it’s playing. So yeah, I give them both high grades this year.”
Indeed, going .500 with a career backup at quarterback is worth something. And the defense, to their credit, has played largely well enough to at least give Rush a chance on a weekly basis.
That said, the Cowboys are coming off games against the Panthers, Bengals and Giants – three teams whose seasons have effectively been over for weeks, if not months, in most cases. A big test awaits down the stretch as they finish with a gauntlet that includes three likely playoff teams in the Bucs, Eagles and Commanders.