Dallas' 'Wide Range' of Performances': Why Are Coach McCarthy's Cowboys So Inconsistent?

The Dallas Cowboys were humiliated on national television against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. After an up-and-down start to the season, what's the next step in Arlington?

The "Game of the Week" in the National Football League did not live up to expectations on Sunday night, even after the Dallas Cowboys put a huge emphasis on it leading up to the contest.

The Cowboys were demolished by the San Francisco 49ers to the tune of a 42-10 final score on Sunday Night Football, seeming to mirror the performance of teams they dominated earlier in the season. Quarterback Dak Prescott was bad, the offense was bad, and the defense was bad. Pairing that against a juggernaut like the Niners is not a recipe for success.

All week, Dallas had its eyes set on avenging back-to-back postseason losses to this franchise by silencing its critics and officially putting the NFL on notice that it, not San Francisco, was the team to beat in the NFC.

Instead, the opposite happened, and the Cowboys are heading back to the drawing board.

"Didn't see it coming," Prescott said after the loss. "(We) put everything into this and got punched in the mouth. Called it a couple of weeks ago 'humbling' against Arizona, but this may be the most humbling game I've ever been a part of. Felt good about the preparation and everything coming into this game, and they beat us in every aspect."

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy echoed this sentiment after the game. What else could he say? His team had no answer on either side of the ball for the 49ers, and Dallas now finds itself behind the proverbial eight ball in NFC playoff seeding before the calendar hits Week 6.

October 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy (left) and quarterback Dak Prescott (4) watch against the San Francisco 49ers. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / © Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

"A very humbling loss, obviously, stating the obvious," McCarthy said. "I think the biggest thing is that I had a quick reflection on the five games that we've played in. It's been a wide range of performances, about as wide a range as I can recall in a five-week period."

So, what's next for Dallas after this "wide range" of games? The Cowboys have dominated the likes of the Giants, Jets and Patriots, but they have been exposed against Arizona and now San Francisco in humiliating fashion. Is there consistency to be found?

"Biggest thing is for us to be accountable," McCarthy said. "Clearly humbling, but it's one game. It should start with me. I didn't do a good job tonight."

Accountability is a good start, and it's still early in the season. A lot can happen each week in the NFL, but as of Monday, the Cowboys are not "top dog" in the NFC, and they appear to be further from that mark than they originally thought. Now, it's about the team's response.

Will Dallas get up off the mat, or will Sunday night's loss prove to be as detrimental to the season as it looked?