Mike McCarthy sells belief in playoff breakthrough that has eluded Cowboys

FRISCO, Texas — Mike McCarthy sifted through several versions of selling his belief that the Dallas Cowboys can find a level of postseason success that has eluded the storied franchise for nearly three decades.

The coach faced reporters a day after a meeting with owner and general manager Jerry Jones ended with them agreeing McCarthy would return for a fifth season despite a stunning wild-card loss to Green Bay.

The Cowboys won the NFC East and entered the postseason with a chance to play at least twice at home, where they had a 16-game winning streak.

They exited as the first No. 2 seed to lose to a conference’s last team in since the 14-team format was adopted in 2020. Dallas trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter of the 48-32 loss to the Packers.

“We have established a championship program. It’s just not a world championship yet,” McCarthy told a packed news conference Thursday. “We know how to win. We know how to train to win. We have the right people.

“But we have not crossed the threshold winning playoff games,” McCarthy said. “It’s extremely disappointing to be sitting here talking about. But I know how to win. We will get over that threshold. I have total confidence in that, and that’s why I’m standing here today.”

McCarthy won a Super Bowl and went to three other NFC championship games in 12-plus seasons as coach of the Packers. That’s why Jones hired him in 2020 after 10 years of watching Jason Garrett’s teams fail to get past the divisional round.

The most recent time Dallas reached an NFC title game was the last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles during the 1995 season.

While McCarthy has to own being the coach of the first team with three consecutive 12-win playoff seasons not to reach a conference championship game, there’s only so much history he can take.

“I’m going to take no responsibility, and I talked to the players too, and they have no responsibility on what’s gone on here in the 20-plus years before this point,” McCarthy said. “We’re responsible for what’s going on the program. I know it’s disappointing to the fans, but we are in position to learn and grow from this and build on it.”

McCarthy said his meeting with Jones on Wednesday lasted about three hours.

Afterward, Jones issued a statement saying McCarthy would return.

While Jones made several references to the disappointment of the playoff loss, he said there was “great benefit to continuing the team’s progress under Mike’s leadership.”

McCarthy said he didn’t think the meeting was about making a case to keep the job.