Rob Ninkovich: Mike McCarthy Will Be on Hot Seat if Cowboys Lose to Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys have been at the center of a storm of criticism over the last month due to several underwhelming performances capped off by an overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in which they blew a two-touchdown lead. They caught a break in regards to their Christmas Eve matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, though, with Jalen Hurts' shoulder injury. Hurts has still not been declared officially out, but seeing as Philly all but has both the division and the No. 1 seed in the NFC locked up, it would be a shock to see him on the field. (UPDATE: Hurts has since been ruled out.)

The Cowboys will now face Gardner Minshew in a much-needed get right game as the postseason nears. It is a tremendous opportunity for the defense to find their footing and for Dak Prescott to remind everyone he is not ass. If they do not capitalize and lose to the Eagles' backup, though, the noise will grow even harsher around the team. Rob Ninkovich went on ESPN today to argue that Mike McCarthy will be fighting for his job if Dallas drops this game.

Losing to the Eagles would be a tough blow but Ninkovich's latter point probably holds more water. If Dallas bows out in the first round again, McCarthy will have to convince Jerry Jones that he deserves one more shot with this expensive roster. Especially if they lose in a similar manner to last year's debacle.

However, everyone seems awfully eager to heat up McCarthy's seat. Even with the way the Cowboys have played recently they've still won four of their last five. They haven't played championship-level football during that stretch but wins are wins. A whole lot of hand-wringing for a 10-4 team that, in any other year, would be leading their division.