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This was the year for the Dallas Cowboys, wasn’t it? With a strong 12-5 regular season record in the 2023 NFL season, the mighty Cowboys were tipped to have the easiest route to make it to the Super Bowl.
The stage was set for head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott to lead the Cowboys to a customary NFC Championship game this season. They had the luxury of playing two consecutive home games against over-achieving sides before eventually locking horns with heavy favorites San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
But as it turns out, the Cowboys were handed an embarrassing 48-32 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday’s Wild Card game at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The shock defeat stunned the majority of the NFL world right from TV personalities like Skip Bayless, and Stephen A. Smith to former NFL stars like Dez Bryant and Richard Sherman.
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James found the right opportunity to take a friendly jibe at Bryant on X, formerly Twitter, after the Cowboys' defeat. He tweeted:
@DezBryant You good?? 🥴🥴🥴🥴
Bryant acknowledged LeBron's cheeky dig and responded with a GIF, expressing his frustration with the result.
Cowboys' shock defeat could signal the end of Mike McCarthy's tenure in Dallas
Before the game, Bryant seemed confident of a rather comfortable Cowboys win over the Packers team, who were the underdogs leading up to the Wild Card Game. The former Cowboys wide receiver shared a series of tweets, anticipating a win for Prescott and Co. at home.
He tweeted:
Cowboys nation! I’m feeling EXTREMELY EXTREMELY great about the boys today! 10k confirmed ….Ready to smoke on that Packers pack!! 💨 Let’s go! 🔥🔥 💙 ⭐️
But all thanks to the NFL scriptwriters, the game flipped in favor of the Packers in the first quarter and Green Bay wreaked havoc on Cowboys defense in a jiffy.
From ‘smoking the Packers pack’, it went to ‘This is not Cowboy football’ quickly.
Amidst the chaos on the field at AT&T, Bryant addressed Cowboys DC Dan Quinn’s future situation in Dallas. He stated that Quinn wished to leave the organization and owner Jerry Jones should make it happen.
Interestingly, Bryant revealed that former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot was open to a Dallas return for the playoffs, but Bill Belichick vetoed the move. The Cowboys would've liked to have Zeke's explosiveness against the Packers, who relied heavily on their run game and running back Aaron Jones' sensational output on the night.
McCarthy’s Cowboys future remains in doubt after the shock defeat on Sunday. Jones made it clear that he didn’t expect a result like this and will assess the team’s performance next week. Jones declined to comment on a timeline for McCarthy’s assessment and job status in Dallas.
However, Bryant is certain that McCarthy’s Cowboys tenure was all but over.
With options like Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh available for hire in the offseason, Jones will assess the coaching situation carefully as the Cowboys' pursuit of Super Bowl success extends for another season.
