Cowboys' Jerry Jones Says Mike McCarthy's Job Safe Despite Playoff Loss vs. 49ers

After Sunday's 19-12 loss by the Dallas Cowboys to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round, team owner Jerry Jones quickly put an end to the speculation regarding the status of head coach Mike McCarthy.

Jones told reporters that McCarthy's job "remains safe" as Dallas turns the page to the offseason.

The Cowboys didn't have much of an answer for the vaunted 49ers defense in the defeat. Dallas totaled just 282 yards of offense, with 76 yards coming on the ground. Star quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 206 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 23-of-37 passing.

There was a particularly head-scratching moment on the Cowboys' final play of the night while they were attempting to go for a game-tying score. Dallas lined star running back Ezekiel Elliott at center and tried to set up a lateral play, but KaVontae Turpin was tackled immediately after picking up just eight yards.

Losing to a rookie quarterback in San Francisco's Brock Purdy marks a second straight playoff disappointment for the Cowboys. Dallas was bounced in the wild-card round last year by the Niners and is now 1-2 under McCarthy in the postseason.

Despite the vote of confidence from Jones, McCarthy will continue to face scrutiny for the Cowboys' failure to execute in crucial moments. Dallas has won 12 regular-season games in each of the last two years but has nothing to show for it.

With names like Sean Payton available on the head coaching market, there's a chance Jones faces pressure in the coming weeks to evaluate whether a change is needed. For now, he is publicly backing his coach, but he can't be happy with another early playoff exit.