With the Cowboys season unraveling, what’s the message in The Star?

Mike McCarthy turned 61 on Sunday. The Cowboys 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t allow Dallas’ head coach to have a big birthday party.

These are difficult times around The Star at the moment. The Cowboys did that lost four games in a row for the first time since 2020McCarthy’s first in Dallas. And judging by how lopsided the defeats have been, a massive turnaround seems highly unlikely.

“I enjoy the arena of conflict and being in these types of situations,” McCarthy said Monday, “because these are the years you remember. But it’s time to turn it around. We’ve been in this mode for a few weeks too long. But this is a great opportunity for us. No one believes we can do it, which I think makes it even more fun. But we have to win a game.”

GO DEEPER

‘Frustrated’ Jerry Jones on Cowboys’ struggles: ‘I had a lot to do with what we’re seeing’

McCarthy had more to worry about on Monday than the poor on-field performance. He met Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons about comments he made after Sunday’s game.

Parsons gave a striking response in the locker room after the game when asked if McCarthy was in the final year of his contract.

“That’s above my salary if Mike starts coaching again next year,” Parsons said. “Aside from all the coaching, Mike can leave and go wherever he wants, but guys I feel a little sorry for are guys like Zack Martin and boys who may be in their senior year or on their way out. Because that’s who I wanted to hold the trophy for. You want to win games and do great things with legends like that who have put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did. Those are the kind of guys I have so much sympathy and pain for.

The two men cleared the air. Parsons informed his coach that his words were misconstrued and “that was not his intention.”

“It was never my intention to throw Mike McCarthy under the bus,” Parsons said Monday on his Bleacher Report “The Edge” podcast. “He’s one of the winningest coaches, he’s a Super Bowl champion. … I’ve always had a great relationship with Mike McCarthy, and I’ve never questioned that.

“Not once did I want this quote to be a negative moment. I just wanted it to shine a positive light on guys like Zack Martin who may or may not be a Cowboy next year.”

With the way this season is unfolding, there will likely be a lot of changes this offseason. A team that won 12 games each of the last three seasons might not even reach half that number this season. So what’s the message behind the scenes?

“Keep grinding,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “After we lost our third quarterback (at Minnesota), we went to the NFC Championship Game (in 2017). So there is still a lot of football left. Obviously we have to play better. We have been playing better and better defensively in recent weeks. We just have to keep it going.”

The defense got a boost Sunday with the return of Parsons, who missed four games with a high ankle sprain. He had two sacks and a tackle for loss against the Eagles. The offense, on the other hand, is likely without a franchise QB Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season due to a significant hamstring injury that could require surgery. His replacements, Cooper Rush And Trey Lance didn’t seem close to being an answer against the Eagles, combining for just 49 passing yards. That’s the lowest total in a Cowboys game since the season opener in 2001, when Quincy Carter finished with 34 passing yards and two interceptions. That Cowboys team finished the season 5-11. This group is on its way to a similar final record.

GO DEEPER

Trey Lance or Cooper Rush? Cowboys are a mess that neither quarterback can fix

What is the message of the crime?

“Stay the course,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re looking for a way to motivate them, I try to be honest with these guys. We can play more consistently than we have done so far. There has been good, but there has been too much bad. … There were some long faces today, just like all of us. But there is no solution in this competition. This is a tough competition for tough people. Because I’ve been in it as long as I have, watching it as a kid with my dad, if you blink in this business or you don’t like hard days, you’re in the wrong business. There is so much equality. It’s so hard to win one game in this league.

“We have good players. We believe in all these guys. We believe in what we want to achieve. We really believe that if you keep working, things will change. You have to get a win. And then you get a win and then there is more confidence. And then one win becomes two wins.”

It’s easy to doubt everything right now. The coaches will be positive. They have no other choice. But there is still half a season to go. And the Cowboys will likely be underdogs in six of their last eight.

“We have a great opportunity as a group of guys to come into an adverse situation and do something that people don’t think we can do,” McCarthy said. “Been there before. I’m excited about it. Usually it comes out the other side, and that’s what I focus on.”

(Photo of Micah Parsons and Jalen Hurts: Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)