Jerry Jones has to fire this prominent Cowboys coach despite Week 12 win

There is so much to unpack from the Dallas Cowboys' nail-biting victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

A win is the last thing fans expected and while it hurts Dallas' draft position, it feels great to end the five-game losing streak. And to do it against Dan Quinn, who was a -10.5 favorite, makes it all the more sweet.

There's no need to speculate on Mike McCarthy's job security. At least for this week. Jerry Jones won't feel obligated to say something completely outlandish on 105.3 The Fan. And most importantly, we learned the players are still fighting for McCarthy and playing for their collective pride.

McCarthy leaned on Rico Dowdle to the tune of 98 scrimmage yards and Mike Zimmer called maybe his best game of the season as defensive coordinator. Unfortunately, the Cowboys did not play well in all three phases.

READ MORE: Mike Zimmer may have unveiled another Cowboys defensive stud in Week 12 win

Sunday marked yet another mistake-littered outing from John "Bones" Fassel's special teams. As much as we hate advocating for someone to lose their job, it is time for Jerry Jones to cut bait with Fassel once and for all.

Cowboys must fire special teams coordinator John 'Bones' Fassel despite Week 12 win

Brandon Aubrey kicking field goals and KaVontae Turpin returning kicks have masked a penalty-plagued season from Fassel's group.

Illegal formations on kickoffs and holding penalties on returns have become the norm under Fassel and he has compounded those problems with two failed pass attempts on fake punts. Both fakes had zero chance of working. They reeked of desperation and put Dallas' already-undermanned defense at a greater disadvantage.

As bad as it's been, Sunday was the worst showing of the year. The field goal operation imploded on Brandon Aubrey's first attempt and it got blocked. It barely held it together on Aubrey's second attempt, which resulted in a miss. That Aubrey's confidence has seemingly been shaken after a historic start to his career is perhaps the most damning indictment on Fassel.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, Washington blocked a punt and Aubrey's opening kickoff of the second half went out of bounds.

Fassel's unit has been imploding for several weeks running. As hard as it is to campaign for the veteran assistant to get the axe after a game in which the Cowboys won and played with a ton of heart, the special teams is actively working against Dallas' attempt to win games every week.

Recency bias be damned, that was arguably the worst special teams performance in a Cowboys game ever. Turpin's 99-yard kickoff return should not paper over the fact that Fassel's unit can't execute the fundamentals.

We can even point to Juanyeh Thomas returning the onside kick for a touchdown as a knock on Fassel. While it didn't come back to bite the Cowboys, Thomas should have went down as soon as he recovered the kick. That would have ended the game. By returning it, Thomas gave Washington a chance to tie the game with a Hail Mary.

That we are even questioning whether Fassel told his players before the onside kick to give themselves up is utterly ridiculous.

Jones may have decided to keep McCarthy at the helm for the rest of the season. Firing McCarthy wouldn't accomplish much. The team is still playing hard every week despite having almost zero shot at making the playoffs.

Fassel does not deserve that luxury.

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