Next Dallas Cowboys head coach odds: Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Dan Quinn leading candidates if Jerry Jones fires Mike McCarthy

Everything was set up for the Dallas Cowboys to end the longest conference championship game drought in the NFL this postseason. They won the NFC East thanks in large part to the Philadelphia Eagles imploding down the stretch, which assured Dallas of at least one game at AT&T Stadium, where it had won 16 straight games and six by at least 20 points this season. Yet the Cowboys were dominated Sunday in a stunning 48-32 Wild Card loss against Green Bay in a game that wasn't as close as the score. Many now expect head coach Mike McCarthy to be fired. SportsLine offers odds on his possible replacement if that comes to pass.

The Cowboys have endured 13 playoff exits since their last conference championship game following the 1995 season, extending the longest such streak in NFL history. Dallas also became the first team ever without a conference title game appearance despite three straight 12-win seasons. The Cowboys have also now lost three straight playoff games as at least a 7-point favorite, the longest such streak by any team since the 1970 merger.

Green Bay scored on its first possession, built a 20-point lead by halftime and never looked back en route to becoming the first-ever No. 7 seed to win a playoff game. The 48 points allowed Sunday by Dallas were a franchise playoff record and tied for the second-most allowed at home by any team in playoff history. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn frankly should be on the hot seat as well but already might have had one foot out the door -- he's expected to be a leading candidate to be the next head coach in Seattle to replace Pete Carroll.

McCarthy calls offensive plays, and his unit piled up 510 yards and 37 first down. But most of that came in garbage time, as the offense didn't really get going until the second half when the game was out of hand. Dak Prescott had cut way down on interceptions during the regular season but threw two against Green Bay, including an early pick-six. Prescott's 2-5 postseason career record is tied for the worst by a QB in playoff history (minimum five starts) with Alex Smith and Billy Kilmer.

Dallas had a plus-172 point differential at AT&T Stadium this season, the best regular-season home point differential by team to lose a playoff opener at home in NFL history. The Cowboys trailed for more time Sunday (52 minutes, 8 seconds) than they did in all eight regular season home games combined (NFL-low 44 minutes, 36 seconds).

Owner/GM Jerry Jones wouldn't speak on McCarthy's future afterward, but the 81-year-old is now 28 seasons removed from the franchise's last Super Bowl appearance and badly wants one more title before it's too late. Jones said Sunday's loss was among the worst he's experienced since buying the Cowboys in 1989.

"This seems like the most painful because we all had such great expectation and we had hope for this team," he said. "I thought we were aligned in great shape, and it didn't happen for us. It's as fresh on me as it is on anyone."

McCarthy has one more year left on his contract, and Jones said he didn't have a meeting planned with his coach: "What I had planned to do was be with him [Monday] going over how we played [Sunday] and getting ready for the coming week. That's what was on the agenda. [Monday], my agenda will be to dismiss the team."

Six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick makes plenty of sense if both and Jones can set aside their egos. Jones and former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson famously could not co-exist despite winning two Super Bowl titles, and only this season was Johnson finally was brought back and enshrined into the team's Ring of Honor -- a celebration many years overdue. Belichick will be 72 in April.

While Mike Vrabel didn't win a Super Bowl as a head coach in Tennessee, he has three rings from his playing days in New England and commands as much respect as any coach in the NFL. Fresh off winning a national title at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh already has started interviewing with NFL teams.

We mentioned above that Quinn above is a top candidate to replace Carroll in Seattle. Carroll was clearly surprised by being pushed out; would he actually consider moving to the Dallas sideline to win a second Super Bowl? Would Jones even hire Quinn after that defensive faceplant?

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Mike McCarthy be the Cowboys' head coach in Week 1 of the 2024 season?

• No -140
• Yes +120

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who will be the Cowboys' head coach in Week 1 of the 2024 season if not Mike McCarthy?

• Bill Belichick +150
• Mike Vrabel +400
• Dan Quinn +500
• Raheem Morris +900
• Jim Harbaugh +1000
• Bobby Slowik +1200
• Ben Johnson +1200
• Pete Carroll +1500
• Mike Macdonald +1800
• Kellen Moore +2000

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