The Dallas Cowboys season ended exactly one week ago and there have been zero steps forward regarding the future of Mike McCarthy. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones watched Wild Card Weekend from his couch and saw his former coordinators advance to the Divisional Round.
Kellen Moore and the Eagles easily disposed of the Packers, who looked remarkably pedestrian after they steamrolled the Cowboys in the playoffs last year. Of course, right?
Dan Quinn and the Commanders didn't have it as easy against the Buccaneers, but they hunkered down in the fourth quarter and won on a walk-off field goal in the final seconds. Many Cowboys fans thought Washington was in over its head after a 12-win regular season.
While the Bucs shot themselves in the foot with a late fumble and questionable game management from head coach Todd Bowles, winning a road playoff game with a rookie quarterback is nothing to sneeze at.
In helping resuscitate the Commanders franchise, Quinn is just one win away from further humiliating his floundering former team.
Dan Quinn is one win away from embarrassing the Cowboys beyond measure
If Quinn reaches the NFC Championship, the Cowboys will have the longest drought in the conference in terms of making the NFC Championship Game.
With former owner Dan Snyder running the franchise into the ground and multiple general managers being unable to find a stable quarterback, Cowboys fans have been able to sleep easy knowing Washington wasn't close to contention.
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Thanks to Quinn, who has ameliorated a previously deadbeat culture, and new ownership, which green-lighted a roster overhaul in the offseason, the Commanders are legit.
The arrival of QB Jayden Daniels has also played a massive factor in the turnaround, but multiple teams this season - the Bengals, Seahawks and Jets to name a few - had serviceable QB play and a strong roster fail to make the playoffs. Head coaching is so important. It cannot be overstated that Quinn has done a remarkable job in his first year at the helm.
Quinn's game management has been spot on for a head coach who's tasked with calling the defensive plays. His timeout usage proves he is always thinking two and three steps ahead and he knows when to go for it on fourth down and when to go for two instead of kicking an extra point.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, Washington has to play the No. 1 seed Lions, who are the Super Bowl favorites, in the Divisional Round. They will be heavy underdogs in the game, so odds are their NFC Championship drought will continue.
However, it does not bode well for Dallas, which still hasn't made a decision on its head coach, that Washington is already this good in their first year out of Snyder's shadow. That they already won a playoff game while Jerry Jones dangles Mike McCarthy as a puppet for exposure and publicity underlines just how much they have closed the gap.