If the Packers’ stunning 48-32 victory was not McCarthy’s last game as Cowboys head coach, then Jones is strictly kidding himself these days, hanging onto delusional regular-season success that hasn’t translated to anything meaningful since [Jimmy] Johnson and the Triplets brought him three Lombardi Trophies.

If Belichick has not replaced McCarthy by the end of the week, then all the critics who say the Jones family cares about nothing but its annual No. 1 ranking in Forbes as the most valuable franchise should have a field day. You have to remember why McCarthy is here in the first place. Jason Garrett could produce the occasional NFC East title. He had only one losing season in nine years as head coach although he threw in a lot of 8-8’s. But Garrett’s playoff record was 2-3 and his shining moment was punctured by the “Dez Caught It” anti-climax in Green Bay in 2014.

McCarthy’s playoff teams here are 1-3. The sole victory was over a downtrodden Tampa Bay team, elevated to playoff status by the mere presence of 45-year-old Tom Brady. Other than that, some version of Mike Shanahan coaching tree teams — whether it was Kyle in San Francisco or Matt LaFleur in Green Bay — has undressed the Cowboys and ended their seasons prematurely for three years.

[I think there will be a lot of anger directed at McCarthy this week, some of it deserved, but I’m not sure a 71-year-old head coach who couldn’t win consistently without Tom Brady is the answer either. McCarthy won a Super Bowl in Green Bay too, but Packers fans were also disappointed in his playoff record. At least McCarthy consistently gets Dallas into the playoffs, which is more than Belichick has done with New England in the post-Brady era (one appearance, a wild-card round loss two years ago). The Cowboys looked *bad* yesterday, and that won’t help McCarthy. If McCarthy survives at all, he’ll have to gut his coaching staff and look for a new approach. If the Cowboys really want a change of direction, though, they’ll need to invest in a younger coach. — Ed]