Mike McCarthy Believes Cowboys Are 'Worthy of the Criticism' amid 2-5 Start

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Monday that "no one feels worse" about the team's 2-5 start than the Cowboys themselves.

"We're worthy of the criticism," he added. 

In defense of the Cowboys, the team has suffered a rash of injuries, including the loss of star quarterback Dak Prescott for the season.

But those injuries can't be fully blamed for a defense that has given up 25 or more points in six straight games. There aren't excuses for Ezekiel Elliott's four lost fumbles in seven games. They don't excuse the fact that the Cowboys looked like they gave up on Sunday during a 25-3 thrashing at the hands of the Washington Football Team, with a surprisingly muted response when quarterback Andy Dalton was knocked out of the game with a concussion after a dirty hit from linebacker Jon Bostic. 

"We speak all the time about playing for one another, protecting one another," McCarthy said about none of the offensive players getting in Bostic's face after the hit, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. "It definitely was not the response you would expect."

Granted, it isn't just the players coming under fire. McCarthy has also been criticized for the team's slow start:

There was also discontent coming out of the locker room last week about the coaching staff:

Despite the team's horrid start to the season, Cowboys EVP and director of player personnel Stephen Jones gave McCarthy a vote of confidence on Monday. 

"I know we've got the right head guy for the job," he said on 105.3 The Fan, (h/t Rob Phillips of the team's website). "These things just take time. I know our fans are frustrated. We certainly understand the criticism that's come our way. But we've got to go to work."

And despite that awful start, the Cowboys are still just a half-game out of first place in the NFC East behind the 2-4-1 Philadelphia Eagles, with a matchup between the teams coming on Sunday. For all of the team's struggles, a divisional title is still well within their grasp. They just need to clean things up—and fast.