Is Mike McCarthy in the hot seat after the blowout?

The Dallas Cowboys’ 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions has fans and media members alike calling for the franchise to replace head coach Mike McCarthy. Dallas is currently 3-3 this season, but has already suffered two significant defeats in its first six games. The Cowboys also lost 44-19 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.

McCarthy is in the final year of his current contract. It might seem unlikely that Dallas would make a midseason move, but the Cowboys are facing a bye week. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to quell that notion in his postgame comments following the team’s loss to the Lions.

Pro Football Network’s Sterling Xie has McCarthy firmly on the line ahead of the team’s Week 7 bye.

“The Cowboys have a bye in Week 7, making this a prime opportunity for a move,” Xie wrote in an Oct. 13, 2024 story titled “Will the Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy?” Dallas head coach on the Hot Seat after no-show in Week 6.” “Week 8 brings a road game against the San Francisco 49ers, who have beaten the Cowboys in three straight games by an average of 15.0 PPG (including playoff games following the 2021 and 22 seasons).

“Given this bleak outlook, it would be no surprise if the Cowboys decided to make a drastic change to improve their season. With Prescott holding one of the safest quarterback jobs in the league, McCarthy remains one of the only viable scapegoat options.”

Could the Cowboys turn to former Patriots coach Bill Belichick?

One name that continues to be touted as a potential replacement candidate for Dallas is former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. The legendary coach spends the NFL season creating media coverage of the league.

“How soon after the Cowboys’ recent humiliating home loss will Jerry Jones call Bill Belichick?” NFL analyst Gary Myers pondered this in an Oct. 13 message on X.

Former Fox Sports host Skip Bayless is among those calling for McCarthy’s job. Bayless cited the Cowboys’ playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers in January as another reason why McCarthy should no longer be on the sidelines.

“I ask you, how in the name of Thomas Wade Landry does Mike McCarthy still have a job?” Bayless asked in a post from October 13th. “I asked this question after last year’s home playoff game where we played as the No. 2 seed against the No. 7 seed Packers, the youngest team in the league. And the Packers had beaten us 27-0 before halftime.

“Jerry, how do you manage not to fire McCarthy? That’s because he’s your best friend and maybe your only friend. Happy birthday, Jerry.”

Jerry Jones on a possible Cowboys coaching change: “I’m not thinking about it”

If you’re looking for reasons to give McCarthy hope, there’s data to point to in defense of the veteran NFL coach. McCarthy was the head coach of the Packers team that won the Super Bowl during the 2010 season. Dallas is dealing with a variety of injuries on defense, including the loss of Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.

Despite the lack of playoff success, McCarthy led the Cowboys to three straight 12-win seasons. Jones stated bluntly that he would not be making any changes during the team’s bye.

“I haven’t even thought about it [a coaching change]” Jones told reporters on Oct. 13 after the Cowboys’ loss to the Lions, according to WFAA’s Ed Werder. “I don’t think about that. So you realize I don’t think about it.”

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been featured prominently on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams