Sunday’s battle between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets was a game that played in a fairly unexpected way. Midway through the game, the Jets held a 21-6 advantage and ultimately reigned victorious with 24-22. For many fans of America’s Team, this was an inexcusable loss, and head coach Jason Garrett should pay with his job.
Whether or not Garrett should be fired has been a common debate among the NFL media members, as well as the fanbase, but this discussion has reached a fever pitch after the Cowboys lost their third-straight game to reach 3-3 on the season. Even former Dallas receiver Terrell Owens added his thoughts on Twitter following the game.
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“Hey [Jerry Jones]!! Still think Jason Garrett is the answer?! For a decade, A DECADE NOW, it’s the same old song and dance!” Owens wrote. “I knew they were going to [Jason Witten] on the 3rd down prior to TD and knew they were going to him on the 2-pt conversion. Not too late 2 bring me back.”
Without wide receiver Amari Cooper in the lineup due to an injury, this offense struggled to find consistency against safety Jamal Adams and the Jets defense. Ezekiel Elliott was able to top 100 yards rushing for the third time this season, but he averaged fewer than four yards per attempt.
Of course, the bigger issue for many is that the Cowboys offense was once again viewed as predictable. As Owens pointed out on Twitter, there were many that expected quarterback Dak Prescott to target veteran Jason Witten in the big moments, mostly due to Cooper being off the field. First-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was supposed to add some excitement and intrigue to the playcalling, but he was hamstrung by the lack of options on the field.
On the other side of the ball, this high-priced defense led by pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence was unable to limit QB Sam Darnold in his return from mono. The second-year signal-caller threw for two touchdowns to give his team an early advantage, including one that traveled 92 yards.
With the Cowboys appearing to be overmatched, it would appear that Jason Garrett’s future is in doubt, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport is pumping the brakes on that belief. He appeared on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Monday to explain that the Cowboys will not be making any changes before the end of the regular season.
Both owner Jerry Jones and chief executive officer Stephen Jones have said that this position will not be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Any updates about Garrett and his future with the team will be provided following the season. The reason for this slow approach being that the Cowboys did not award the longtime coach with a contract extension ahead of the 2019 season. Garrett is in the final year of his deal and is actually coaching for his job.
If the Cowboys fail to reach the NFC Championship or miss out on the playoffs entirely, there is a scenario in which the Jones family will simply neglect to offer Garrett a new contract. There will not publicly issue a firing. Instead, his tenure with the team will simply end.
On the other hand, Garrett could save his job and earn a new deal by leading the Cowboys on a run to reach the playoffs once again. This would keep stability at the position while also creating arguments among the fans.
