Ben Johnson showed Jerry Jones his No. 1 candidate to replace Mike McCarthy.

With the Lions’ offensive performance on Sunday, Ben Johnson demonstrated to Jerry Jones why he is his top choice to replace Mike McCarthy.

Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, celebrated his 82nd birthday on Sunday. The Detroit Lions arrived to town and put a sour note on his figurative birthday cake, defeating his club 47-9. A midseason coaching change may not be imminent, but Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is firmly on the hot seat and will almost certainly be dismissed following the season.

Jones has declared this an all-in season in Dallas. While he did not make any outside signings this offseason, he did allow McCarthy to complete the final year of his contract.

Jones has a candidate to replace McCarthy in 2025. In Week 6, he demonstrated exceptional offensive play-calling, unlike anyone else in the Cowboys’ history.

On Sunday, the Lions offense amassed 492 total yards as Johnson experimented with everything from basic formations to strange formations and trick plays in an attempt to embarrass the Cowboys. Two of the three drives they failed to score on were a kneel-down at the conclusion of the first half and the game’s last drive with backups in. The other was a fumble on downs in Cowboys territory in the fourth quarter, when a long field goal would have put them up 50 points.

Ben Johnson showed Jerry Jones his best choice to replace Mike McCarthy.

Johnson’s decision to decline head coaching positions for the second year in a row made it clear that the Cowboys may be a viable option for him in 2025. McCarthy is expected to leave after the season, unless the Cowboys have a significant turnaround when they return from their Week 7 bye.

Johnson is likely to be a top candidate for head coaching positions following the season, regardless of his appeal. The extent to which he considers these opportunities is unknown. But it’s also reasonable to believe he won’t voluntarily withdraw himself from the hiring process three times in a row.

Expectations are understandably high in Dallas, and Jones enjoys taking credit for any achievement that occurs. So there are valid reasons why Johnson may not want the Cowboys job. But Jones should pursue him to the maximum degree when he begins the inevitable coaching search, with the embarrassment Johnson caused in “Jerry World” still in his mind.