What Mike McCarthy needs to do to earn extension as Dallas Cowboys head coach

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A run of good form over the past few weeks may keep Mike McCarthy in Big D beyond this season.

The Dallas Cowboys saw their five-game winning streak end on Sunday, losing 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills.

Is that loss enough for the front office to reconsider keeping McCarthy?

Improving the Offense

When McCarthy elected to take over the offensive play calling this season, it was met with intrigue and skepticism.

Although their Sunday performance left much to be desired, McCarthy’s overall body of work may save his job according to NFL.com.

As an NFL head coach, you’re defined by wins and losses, and the Cowboys have done much more of the former in recent weeks.

It was just over a month ago, however, when rumours were swirling that Bill Belichick might replace McCarthy during the off-season, with the Patriots coach seemingly out of a job soon in New England.

After putting up 10 points on Sunday, the Cowboys offense is down to sixth in the NFL regarding yards-per-game (368.1).

That said, they still have the second-best offense regarding points-per-game, averaging 30.8, with only the Miami Dolphins ahead of them (31.5).

Dak Prescott is in the conversation for league MVP, completing 68.8% of his throws and putting up 3,639 yards through the air.

Prescott’s MVP hopes took a big hit in Buffalo; however, the race isn’t over yet.

Overall, few would doubt this team is improving on the offensive side of the ball.

They need to produce more than 195 yards, as they did on Sunday if they want to compete for a title though.

As poor as they were when in possession versus Buffalo, though, that wasn’t why they lost; they didn’t have an answer for the Bills James Cook.

What does McCarthy need to do to get an extension?

The Cowboys face a potent Dolphins offensive juggernaut next weekend, one which, if reports are correct, could welcome Tyreek Hill back into the fold.

Hill leads the league in receiving yards (1,542), ahead of CeeDee Lamb who is second (1,306).

Dallas’ defense needs to be better against the run, but the next couple of weeks will be a big test for this group on offense too.

Miami and Detroit are two of the top five offensive units in the NFL, with strong running attacks and top-notch receivers.

Those games could be shootouts, and McCarthy needs to create a plan to enable his team to keep pace.

They have the weapons to go toe-to-toe with the top offensive units but can’t afford an off-day.

Even if they win their remaining regular-season games, that might not be enough to silence the critics.

Only one thing will guarantee that McCarthy remains the Cowboys’ head coach beyond this season: winning the Super Bowl.

Everyone will be judging the Cowboys on what they do in the playoffs.

That’s a big ask given their competition, but one they need to be ready for.

Getting beyond the Divisional Round, though, will likely also be enough to convince Jerry Jones to keep McCarthy the head coach.