Mike McCarthy’s Dallas future and the impact of the playoffs on that.
With total control over their postseason seeding, the Dallas Cowboys head into Week 18 of the regular season. In addition to winning the NFC East, the Cowboys will guarantee the second seed in the postseason if they defeat the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Dallas may benefit greatly from having the number two seed since it would mean they would have at least two home games to begin the playoffs (provided they go through the wild card round).
With 16 games remaining, the Cowboys presently hold the longest home winning streak in the NFL. QB Dak Prescott would be in the best position to guide his team to victory if they were playing at AT&T Stadium.
While the Cowboys received help from the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys are in this position because of their consistency in the regular season. 
This is something fans have had the luxury of growing accustomed to under head coach Mike McCarthy. If the Cowboys win on Sunday, they will finish the season 12-5. It would be their third straight season finishing with this record. Mike McCarthy has the opportunity to improve to a 36-15 record throughout the last three regular seasons in Dallas.
Since moving on from their previous head coach in Jason Garrett, the Cowboys have benefited greatly in the regular season under McCarthy. Unfortunately, the outcome hasn’t improved in the playoffs.
McCarthy is just 1-2 in the postseason since he began coaching the Cowboys in 2020. Factoring this in with the amount of talent the Cowboys have this year, the pressure McCarthy faces to succeed in the playoffs this year cannot be overstated.
If the Cowboys are unable to make it past the divisional round, can a case be made for the front office to move on from McCarthy? It is hard to argue with his consistency in the regular season; with his ability to put the Cowboys in a position to contend in January.
Dallas supporters, though, are getting impatient because their team hasn’t been to the conference final since 1996. The Miami Dolphins (1993), the Washington Commanders (1992), the Detroit Lions (1992), and the Cleveland Browns (1990) are the only four teams to have experienced lengthier droughts.
McCarthy’s future in Dallas will be a topic of discussion during the summer if the Cowboys, who might have home-field advantage in the first two rounds, are not able to go to the NFC championship game.
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