Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones urge fans to pack AT&T Stadium Sunday
As the NFC East Champions, the Dallas Cowboys get to host the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium this Sunday for Super Wild Card Weekend. However, head coach Mike McCarthy seems a bit worried that this home game may feel like an away game if 49ers fans pack the stands. Maybe he saw this picture from 2014 and got scared.
There is concern that some Cowboys fans may sell their tickets to get playoff ticket cash. When talking to the press on Monday, McCarthy urged fans to pack the stands, and said it’s on the team to give fans something to cheer about.
It’s a valid point considering what happened in the 49ers game on Sunday against the Rams. San Francisco fans took over SoFi Stadium causing a sea of red amongst blue jerseys. The distraction may very well have worked since San Fran overcame a 17-0 deficit to win the game in overtime. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford even admitted after the game that he had a hard time communicating over the noise in the second half.
I see what McCarthy is doing here. What’s the point of earning yourself a home game if it doesn’t feel or sound like a home game? But it does feel a little sad that with such a large fan base, the coach has to still encourage fans to come to the first playoff game in three years to avoid away team noise.
What does Mike McCarthy want to see from Cowboys fans Sunday at AT&T Stadium? “Just don’t want to see a lot of the other fans.” Said he thinks the fans have been great this year and it’s on the team to give them something to cheer about.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 10, 2022
“This is going to be a great afternoon.”
Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones are trying to encourage fans not to sell their tickets and come support the Cowboys
It’s not a surprise that Jones is trying to get fans on board, too. He did spend over $1 billion to build Jerry World. But he doesn’t want it to be an attraction for Californians. He wants it to be filled with Cowboys apparel.
Jones’ goal is to hit 100,000 fans at Sunday’s game. Fun fact! The stadium technically holds 80,000 people, but can be expanded to hold 105,000. This makes it the largest domed structure on Earth and one of the biggest sports venues, too.
The Cowboys have hosted four playoff games at AT&T Stadium with a high crowd of 94,327 (2018, Seattle). Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, owner and GM Jerry Jones has eyes on a big crowd Sunday vs. San Francisco. “I’d like to push that to 100,000 this week,” he said.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 11, 2022
The highest capacity AT&T Stadium has hit in its four playoff games is 94,237 in 2018. That means the Cowboys will need over 5,000 extra people to show up to hit Jones’ goal.
What should matter more than the attendance is what McCarthy is getting at – the ratio of fans. It’s not like Jones is struggling for money and needs ticket sales. He needs Dallas fans to distract Jimmy Garoppolo and his offense. He needs the electric atmosphere of Lumen Field or Arrowhead Stadium.
Given that the Cowboys are requesting that fans wear white to the game, it should be pretty easy to spot red jerseys among the crowd.
