Dallas, TX

Cowboys’ blowout loss to Eagles won’t determine Mike McCarthy’s fate. Here’s why

Published

12 months ago

December 29, 2024

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Cowboys’ blowout loss to Eagles won’t determine Mike McCarthy’s fate. Here’s why

PHILADELPHIA — The Cowboys lost the game the way they did so many earlier this season.

Big.

Sunday’s 41-7 loss to Philadelphia in and of itself won’t determine Mike McCarthy’s fate. Five years of results as the Cowboys head coach tilts the scales more than anything that happens in the final eight days of the regular season.

But what the Eagles did to a Dallas team that had won four of its last five games on this unseasonably warm afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field didn’t help.

McCarthy is about to finish his 18th season as an NFL head coach. The loss means the Cowboys (7-9) can’t finish above .500. That’s happened only four other times in McCarthy’s coaching career.

What does he make of the record with one game left in the regular season?

“I mean, ask me that in eight days,’’ McCarthy said. “I’m here to finish the race.

“That’s my mind-set and that’s the team’s mind-set.’’

What is the mind-set of Jerry Jones? That’s the more pertinent question at the moment.

The owner of the Cowboys approaches the decision on McCarthy in much the same way he did the lucrative extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Even though he has all the information he needs, Jones is going to take this down to the wire.

There was never any doubt that Prescott and Lamb would be part of the franchise going forward. Doubt exists with McCarthy. It does with any coach who’s allowed to enter the final year of his contract.

But to hold McCarthy responsible for a game that backup quarterback Cooper Rush threw two interceptions — one a pick-six — and two other players lost fumbles while the defense forced no turnovers isn’t going to happen.

In the days heading into this rematch with the Eagles, McCarthy was asked if he was eager to learn his fate. His response?

“I do believe in time and place,’’ McCarthy said. “This is not the time or the place for me to speak on it …

“I think it benefits everybody for me just to stay on course.”

The course of the Cowboys season was undoubtedly altered on Nov. 3 when Prescott was lost for the season with a partial proximal hamstring avulsion. The quarterback is off crutches now but still not moving that fast, which is why reporters were able to surround him before he left the locker room Sunday afternoon.

Prescott said he hasn’t had a chance to sit down and talk to Jones about bringing McCarthy back. Not yet. But he intends to have that conversation.

“Obviously, I’m going to promote bringing him back,’’ Prescott said.

Prescott isn’t the only key player the Cowboys have done without. When the season ends next weekend at AT&T Stadium against Washington, Dallas will have missed 49-player games from its Pro Bowl nucleus.

“Definitely not what I envisioned,’’ said defensive end Micah Parsons, who missed four games with a high ankle sprain. “Definitely not what I hoped for coming off a devastating playoff loss saying, ‘Hey, I want to get the same team back and kinda know what it’s going to look like, what the team will be like.’

“Then go into this season with the devastating injuries across the board. Between CeeDee [Lamb], Dak [Prescott], Tre [Trevon Diggs], I mean, you just can’t catch a break.’’

This is the first losing season Parsons has endured with the Cowboys. But here’s the thing: Dallas was off to an uneven start before injuries began to mount.

The Cowboys appeared to right themselves in recent weeks. Then the Eagles hit.

“I mean, it’s extremely hard for everybody,’’ left guard Tyler Smith said. “But one thing I can definitely say is nobody on our sideline quit. Not one person threw in the towel, folded, started pointing fingers or any of that.

“I can definitely say our guys are one of a kind guys. We’re going to come in and we’re going to work. The result wasn’t nearly what we wanted today but we have one more opportunity next week.

“That’s all we can focus on. That’s all we can do.’’

All McCarthy and this team can do now is finish out the season against the Commanders.

And wait to see what Jones decides when it comes to the fate of his head coach.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.

X/Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Dallas, TX

Change In Eagles’ Red-Zone Philosophy Opens Opportunities For Dallas Goedert

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Change In Eagles’ Red-Zone Philosophy Opens Opportunities For Dallas Goedert

PHILADELPHIA – It was evident in July and August that Dallas Goedert was going to be a big part of the Eagles’ offense in the red zone. It felt that way most summers, but this time, with first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in place, the Eagles are dialing up plays for the tight end.

“I think when I get a ball in my hand down there, I’m tough to tackle, I can find my way in, fight my way in,” said Goedert. “It’s just that our red-zone philosophy has changed a bit. We used to run a lot, a lot of quarterback sneaks, things like that down there. We’ve tried to find ways to get me the ball, which is really cool, and I’m gonna keep trying to make them work.”

So far, Goedert has nine touchdown catches. According to NFL Research, five of his touchdowns were thrown behind the line of scrimmage this season, the most by a non-running back in the Next Gen era.

“He’s such a physical guy,” said Patullo. “His determination to just get yards and have an impact on anything, whether it’s in the pass game, whether it’s gadgets, whatever it may be. He’s really dynamic with the ball in his hands. So anytime you can get the ball in his hands, obviously, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

However, the touchdown math didn’t add up for Goedert. He thought eight was the magic number to break the record for most TD catches by a tight end in franchise history, owned by Pete Retzlaff, but Retzlaff had 10 in 1965, meaning Goedert needs one more to break that dusty, 60-year-old mark.

“I thought it was eight, but I was wrong, so I thought I already had it,” he said.

Reminded that he would have had it already had he not dropped a wide-open throw to him in the end zone on Sunday, which would have given him a career-high three in one game, he winced, then answered.

“Yeah, scars right there,” he said. “That one hurts.”

Dallas Goedert Has Eye On Record

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) walks off the field after win against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

With three games left, and with his heavy involvement in the red zone, it is reasonable to expect that the record will at least be tied, perhaps even broken.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “Anytime you can break a record, obviously things are going well for you. Obviously, winning is the most important thing and I want to do whatever I can to help win. If they’re giving me the ball down there, I’m gonna try to score. It would be a cool thing to have.”

Goedert’s production in the low red zone is a reason the Eagles lead the NFL in red-zone success, converting close to 70 percent of their trips (25-for-36) inside the 20 into touchdowns. The tight end has nine of those 25 red-zone TDs.

“We’ve had different things for me in the red zone throughout my career here, a lot of them just haven’t got called,” said Goedert. “Once they started calling them, I tried to make sure they worked so they could keep designing and calling other ones. Any time you go in the huddle and hear that play, knowing you have the opportunity to get in the end zone, it gets you kind of excited, for sure.”

Nore NFL: Eagles’ Backup Staying Patient, Takes First-Team Practice Reps

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Stars-San Jose Sharks preview: Dallas looks to stay hot on the road

Published

17 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Dallas Stars-San Jose Sharks preview: Dallas looks to stay hot on the road

The Dallas Stars start up a brief two-game road trip on Thursday with a game against the San Jose Sharks.

Here’s everything to know about the matchup.

Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks

When: Thursday, 9 p.m.

Where: SAP Center, San Jose

TV/Streaming: Victory+

Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket

Bottom line

The San Jose Sharks host the Dallas Stars after Macklin Celebrini scored two goals in the Sharks’ 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames.

San Jose has a 10-5-3 record in home games and a 17-14-3 record overall. The Sharks have a 15-4-2 record when scoring at least three goals.

Dallas is 22-7-5 overall and 11-2-4 on the road. The Stars have a 12-1-2 record in games their opponents commit more penalties.

The teams meet Thursday for the second time this season. The Stars won the previous matchup 4-1.

Top performers

Jason Robertson has 20 goals and 20 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has scored five goals and added nine assists over the last 10 games.

Celebrini has 18 goals and 33 assists for the Sharks. Tyler Toffoli has five goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Last 10 games

Stars: 7-2-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.2 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.9 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.

Sharks: 6-4-0, averaging 3.4 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Dallas, TX

Why Senate hopeful Jasmine Crockett is appearing at a Dallas hip-hop concert

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Why Senate hopeful Jasmine Crockett is appearing at a Dallas hip-hop concert

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett will introduce Dallas hip-hop collective Cure for Paranoia at its upcoming album release show in Deep Ellum, according to frontman Cameron McCloud. The Dallas Observer reported the news first.

“I just said I’d love for her to be at the show if she was in town,” McCloud said in a text message. “She didn’t even have to come up if she didn’t want to and she said ‘Oh no, I’m definitely getting on stage.’”

Crockett, a Dallas Democrat, catapulted into the national spotlight in 2024 after a tense exchange with fellow U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at a House committee meeting. She has since been regarded as a progressive firebrand, frequently in the headlines for heated back-and-forths with politicians across the aisle.

Crockett also recently launched a bid for the U.S. Senate, promoting her campaign in an Instagram video with McCloud, who wrote a verse about her. He has posted new raps every day this year.

“Who else willing to go toe to toe against the president?” he recited in Day No. 343’s verse, adding a later nod to Crockett’s viral remarks about Greene: “Texas tough don’t need no more bad built bleach blonde butch bodies moving forward.”

Crockett discovered McCloud through social media.

“I started listening and thought ‘Man, he’s a genius.’ I was impressed by his ability to sum up what’s going on in under a minute and with accuracy,” she said in a statement. “Especially at a time when people are not listening to traditional news and the easiest thing to do is keep scrolling, Cure captures people’s attention. I was floored to know that not only was he a Texan but a Dallasite.”

Crockett, who has a penchant for alliteration in her speeches, teased a potential performance during her introduction. “I’m known to drop some bars from time to time so you’ll just have to be there and see.”

Cure for Paranoia’s show will be on Dec. 26 at Trees. It will be pegged to the group’s new album, Work of A.R.T., which is slated for release on Dec. 22.