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Will the Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy? Jerry Jones says Dallas coach is safe despite playoff loss vs. 49ers

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Questions about Mike McCarthy’s job security began to bubble up after the Cowboys’ 19-12 loss to the 49ers in the divisional round of the 2023 NFL playoffs.

Jerry Jones quickly shut down any speculation that McCarthy would be fired.

Jones was asked by reporters Sunday whether the season-ending loss would change his opinion of McCarthy’s status with the team.

“No. Not at all,” the Cowboys owner responded without hesitation.

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It’s not necessarily a surprise that Jones is willing to stick with McCarthy. After all, the coach led the team to a 13-4 record and the franchise’s first postseason win since 2018.

That said, Jones did acknowledge that he was upset with the defeat to the 49ers, saying it was “sickening not to win tonight.” So, McCarthy and his staff will enter another critical offseason as they look to take the next step forward in 2023.

The Cowboys find themselves in a situation similar to the one they dealt with following their exit from the 2022 NFL playoffs, which also came at the hands of the 49ers. McCarthy’s time management and decision-making came into question after that defeat, just as they did after Dallas’ loss to San Francisco this year.

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In 2022, McCarthy and the Cowboys faced criticism for calling a Dak Prescott quarterback draw with time winding down in the contest. Prescott was tackled in bounds and Dallas failed to spike the ball with time remaining in the game, which ultimately thwarted their potential game-winning drive.

Dallas had a similarly head-scratching final play call in the 2023 meeting between the teams. McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore drew up a trick formation with six seconds left that had Ezekiel Elliott at center and linemen flanked out to each side.

The 49ers were not fooled by the play and they completely blew it up.

Meanwhile, McCarthy’s decision to punt after a three-and-out with less than three minutes remaining in the 2023 tilt was questioned as well. The coach detailed after the game that he didn’t want to go for it on fourth-and-10 deep in his own territory.

MORE: Mike McCarthy has short explanation for late-game decision to punt

The Cowboys had all three timeouts and the two-minute warning with which to operate, so it seems that McCarthy was banking on his defense to get a stop. His decision was scrutinized nonetheless.

Still, it doesn’t appear that these debatable decisions have cost McCarthy anything this year. Jones is content with him as head coach and, presumably, won’t go chasing Sean Payton to replace him.

But once again, McCarthy will face a lot of pressure to deliver Jones his ultimate goal and send the Cowboys on a deep playoff run.

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