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'Floored' Cowboys General Manager Jerry Jones must make tough decisions after a stunning loss

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Jerry Jones walked to the locker room in shock Sunday night. The owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys didn't think what he just saw was possible. It's one thing to lose a playoff game that you should be winning, but it's another to be embarrassed at home while you're on a sixteen-game winning streak.

Jones summed up Dallas' 48-32 wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers as one of the most surprising outcomes since he's been involved in the sport. He said several times that he was “floored” and added that the outcome was “beyond my understanding. .”

“I have no comments, questions or answers as to how or why we didn't do what we wanted to tonight,” Jones said. “I say this to our fans: how much you deserve that we don't have this ending.

“This seems like the most painful (loss) because we all had such high expectations and we had hope for this team.”

Jones isn't going anywhere. He remains owner and GM. But after such a defeat at the end of the season, changes need to be considered. Securing the No. 2 seed in the NFC Playoffs set Dallas up for what appeared to be a rematch with the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, a round the Cowboys haven't had since the 1995 season reaches. Losing to the seventh-seeded Packers was highly unlikely. Being completely dominated makes it one of the worst losses in franchise history.

Jones declined to discuss details about coach Mike McCarthy's future. McCarthy has one year left on his contract. After last week's season finale win at Washington, Jones spoke highly of what McCarthy had done in his fourth year as the team's head coach and in his first year as the offensive play caller. But Jones also added, “We'll see how each game goes,” regarding McCarthy's job security.

McCarthy usually meets with reporters at a podium about 15 minutes after each game. On Sunday, more than 30 minutes passed before he walked to the podium. He then answered six questions for about 3 1/2 minutes.

“No. 1, we're very disappointed, to a man,” he said. “I don't think anyone saw this coming. … We didn't succeed at any stage. We're hurting, we're disappointed, every man.”

He was then asked specifically about his job status.

“I think the most important thing is that we are disappointed,” he replied. “I have a whole team in the locker room that is hurting. I didn't think beyond the outcome of this match.”

There's no doubt that McCarthy has put Dallas in position to make deep playoff runs over the past three seasons. It has won the NFC East twice in that time, winning 12 games each season. He has enjoyed regular-season success not seen since their dynasty in the 1990s, when the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four seasons. But the playoff success didn't materialize, which is the biggest reason he was hired to replace Jason Garrett. Reaching the playoffs and winning a playoff game wasn't enough. This was a group that saw the Super Bowl as a legitimate possibility.

McCarthy believes he built things the right way. He can point to winning the Super Bowl in Year 5 when he was head coach of the Packers. But Jones may not be willing to give him a fifth season after Sunday's loss, in which Dallas trailed 27-0 late in the second quarter and 48-16 early in the fourth.

“This is a painful loss,” McCarthy said. “We have put ourselves in position to play a home game. We had a great opportunity. I felt very good about the week of preparation. We felt we were a good fit for each other. But we obviously chose the wrong day to have a bad day.”

Jones, standing outside the locker room on Sunday night, insisted several times that he hadn't given much thought to McCarthy's future. It was somewhat hard to believe considering how quickly the game spiraled out of control. He said nothing had been agreed on when he would next meet with McCarthy.

“What I planned to do was be with him tomorrow to go over how we played today and get ready for the week ahead,” Jones said. “That was on the agenda. Tomorrow my agenda will be to fire the team.”

Jones was later asked about other teams already interviewing head coaching candidates and the possible outcome this could have for the Cowboys if he ultimately wanted to go in a different direction.

“That's no problem,” Jones said. 'Not at all. The fact that coaches have interviewed, not interviewed, there are thirty-odd coaches (in the NFL) on 32 teams, so there are a thousand coaches that are one way or another, and that's just the ones in the league. There are many coaches.

“I know how to do that and how to handle it all. Those aren't high-pressure situations, coaches. … We definitely have a background in what happens after you lose a playoff game. We have too much experience with that.”

On Sunday, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was a popular name mentioned when talking about future Cowboys coaches. He is one of the favorites to become the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Dallas' defense was as responsible for Sunday's loss as any part of the team. Six-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick is clearly a popular name. But the former New England Patriots head coach may not be a great fit for Jones. According to online sportsbook BetOnline.ag, Belichick would be the favorite to become the Cowboys' next head coach if Jones were to part ways with McCarthy.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott certainly didn't play anything like the All-Pro and second-team MVP candidate he showed during the regular season. Much like last season's playoff loss at San Francisco in the divisional round, Dallas' franchise QB had one of the worst games of his career. He threw for just 87 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the first half. His rapport with first-team All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was perhaps the worst it has been all season in the first two quarters.

Prescott was asked after the game about the speculation surrounding McCarthy's coaching future in Dallas.

“He was great,” Prescott said. “I don't know how that is possible, but I understand the business. Then, to be honest, it should also be about me. Thanks to him I had the season I had. This team has had the success they have had because of him. I understand it's about winning the Super Bowl. That's the standard of this league and damn sure the standard of this place, so I understand, but in that case, add me to the list.

GO DEEPER

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(Photo of Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott: Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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