Expectations were not high for the Dallas Cowboys ahead of their Sunday Night Football showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can imagine how low expectations dropped after Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention hours before kickoff.
The Cowboys admirably chose not to conform to that narrative. Despite having nothing to play for, they took down the Buccaneers 26-24. They staved off a late comeback after jumping out to a 26-14 lead in the third quarter and won their fourth game in five weeks.
An injured CeeDee Lamb erupted for 100 yards in the first half and DaRon Bland clinched the win by wrestling the ball away from Rachaad White with Tampa Bay driving late needing a field goal to take the lead. Lest we forget about Jourdan Lewis' preposterous end zone interception.
There are too many heroes to name, but Mike McCarthy arguably deserves the most credit for rallying the troops after learning of their playoff fate right before kickoff.
All eyes turned to Jerry Jones' postgame presser for what he had to say about McCarthy. Before Jones got in front of cameras, though, he greeted McCarthy in the locker room and the two exchanged a seemingly wholesome moment.
Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones share wholesome moment after Cowboys' SNF win
Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy in the locker room after tonight’s win pic.twitter.com/zPfti4P31i
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 23, 2024
That sure looks like someone who's thrilled with his head coach, does it not?
Jones eventually made his way to the media and had nothing but positive things to say about McCarthy. The 82-year-old went out of his way to laud McCarthy.
"Mike McCarthy, he just won’t let them not think that they’re not playing for a Super Bowl out there," Jones said. "That's as good of an emotional performance, an effort performance, as I've seen us have and I don't know what to compare it to."
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It is worth noting that Jones was complimentary of Jason Garrett in 2019 before he relieved Garrett of his duties after the season.
However, that Cowboys team didn't endure nearly as much adversity as this year's squad. They also lost four of their last six games. This iteration has won four of five without its $60 million quarterback and a handful of other starts. It should have been five in a row if not for the late special teams gaffe versus the Bengals.
Nobody is talking about it, but McCarthy has done an unreal job this season. The Cowboys have had every reason to completely bottom out - both on and off the field - and they continue to fight every week like their jobs are on the line.
Culture matters and McCarthy has cultivated a damn good one in Dallas in four years on the job. We'll know soon enough if that is enough to save his job, but it is very notable that Jones was one happy camper after his team shocked the Bucs in primetime.