The disastrous season for the Dallas Cowboys will culminate in 29 years without reaching the Super Bowl, in a year in which they started with the expectation of returning to the big game and instead ended with a losing record of 7-10 and, worse, with two of their rivals in the NFC East in the National Conference final.
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders will face off for a ticket to the Super Bowl in a game that is annoying for any Cowboys fan, but also made clear the bad luck of Jerry Jones, for making evident his mistakes when it comes to making decisions in the coaching of the team, after giving all his confidence to Mike McCarthy, when at home he had better solutions, with Dan Quinn, who was his defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022, and with Kellen Moore, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2023.
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The success of Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore after leaving the Cowboys
Now, Dan Quinn is savoring the sweet taste of success in his first year as head coach of the Washington Commanders, having them on the verge of the Super Bowl after eliminating the Detroit Lions in a surprising Divisional Game. They won 45-31 with quarterback Jayden Daniel shining with 299 yards through the air, 51 rushing yards and two touchdown passes.
On the other hand, Kellen Moore has also had a successful season as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, who were NFC East divisional champions with a 14-3 record and 463 points, in an offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley
The Philadelphia Eagles eliminated the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 to advance to the NFC Championship Game, in a week in which Kellen Moore has been in the spotlight, because he is one of Jerry Jones’ candidates for the head coach position and the NFL allows coordinators to conduct virtual interviews.
Jerry Jones’ gamble on Mike McCarthy
Jerry Jones’ project at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys is still going nowhere. The gamble on Mike McCarthy gave him little to brag about, as after being hired as Jason Garrett’s replacement in 2020, his first mission was to succeed in the postseason, to build a path towards a return to the Super Bowl that never came.
McCarthy left the Cowboys with a 49-35 record in his five seasons as head coach, and won just one playoff game, in addition to suffering devastating home losses in the wild-card round to the San Francisco 49ers (2021) and Green Bay Packers (2023).
The best thing McCarthy had during his time in Dallas was to record three consecutive 12-5 seasons and take the team to the playoffs in three consecutive years for the first time since the 1990s, but in the final balance, it is close to three decades without reaching the Super Bowl, something that Dan Quinn or Kellen Moore will achieve next Sunday.