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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas — A day after the most decisive home loss since 1988, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy attempted to take a big picture view.
The Cowboys suffered the fourth largest home loss in franchise history in Sunday’s 47-9 defeat against the Detroit Lions to fall to 3-3 overall. The decisiveness of the loss and how poorly the Cowboys played could be enough to affect the mental state of the team, but McCarthy still believes in the roster.
“At the end of the day if we totally don’t believe it’s about us, it’ll always be about us and play to who we are, what we do, how we do it, then we’re not going to get to where we want to go,” McCarthy said. “And I believe we will. I think this is an opportunity that we relish. I know I relish it. And I think they do too.
“So this is a place that a lot of good can come out of it. Been here before. And I think this is a really good opportunity for our leadership. I think it’s an excellent opportunity for our young guys to continue to play. It’s an excellent opportunity for those guys to build off some of the things they have done well. Because this will pay forward. In my experience it always has. When you play young players this much and play this many different players this much, I think the long game definitely has a chance to be very bright.”
This is the fourth time a McCarthy-coached team has started a season with a 3-3 record, and it’s his first time with the Cowboys. The Green Bay Packers were 3-3 in 2010 when they ended up winning the Super Bowl. The 2012 Packers made it to the divisional round of the postseason, while the 2008 team missed the playoffs.
The Cowboys play the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 27 and could see the return of defensive end Micah Parsons (ankle), linebacker Eric Kendricks (shoulder) and cornerback DaRon Bland (foot).
McCarthy’s Monday news conference was nearly two hours later than it was scheduled because meetings went longer than expected.
“When you have a chance to step back and really look at everything, I think it’s important for all of us, it’s part of the message to the team, I gave them a number of questions today as far as things to think about and make sure that they are reflecting, make sure they are looking in the mirror and just make sure you’re filling in the blanks,” McCarthy said. “Because why are we on this ebb and flow? Why do we perform seven days ago the way we performed at 1 o’clock in the morning [against the Pittsburgh Steelers] and then come home and perform the way we did? So those are the kinds of things we’ve got to work, focus on.”
While this isn’t the worst start to McCarthy’s tenure with the Cowboys — they were 2-4 in 2020, his first year, on the way to a 6-10 finish — the 38-point margin was the largest defeat since he took over in Dallas. The previous worst was a 38-10 defeat against the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, but it marked the second double-digit loss at home in three games this season, having lost to the New Orleans Saints 44-16 in Week 16.
After the game, Jerry Jones was asked about a potential coaching change and the owner and general manager said he was not considering it. McCarthy, who has a 45-28 record and has taken the Cowboys to the playoffs the past three seasons, is in the final year of his contract.
“I think it’s just part of the business,” McCarthy said when asked how he tunes out the noise regarding his job security. “When people ask me about really anything with the team, part of working here, it’s part of the business.”
After the game, quarterback Dak Prescott backed McCarthy, which the coach appreciated.
“I think it shows how he feels and I think it speaks to our relationship,” McCarthy said. “But yeah, I mean, support is a nice thing.”