Jerry Jones marked his 82nd birthday by watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys suffer a record-breaking defeat.
Dallas were blown out 47-9 by the Detroit Lions on Sunday – their worst home loss in Jones’s ownership tenure – which dates back to 1989.
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys
Visiting quarterback Jared Goff threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, while David Montgomery added two more on the ground to condemn Dallas to their fourth straight loss at AT&T Stadium.
With the Cowboys sitting third in the NFC East with a record of 3-3, this weekend’s humiliation has led to some fans calling for head coach Mike McCarthy to be fired.
Understandably, McCarthy’s job security was also questioned by reporters after the game, but Jones hit back with a blunt response.
“Oh, I haven’t even considered that. I’m not considering that,” he said as he spoke near the locker room, as is his custom.
Reporters then followed up about what it would take for him to consider firing McCarthy, which clearly left the Cowboys owner irate.
“Do you expect me to get into that hypothetical? Do you think I’m an idiot?” he responded.
While it’s clear Jones is standing by his coach, he did admit the loss “very concerning” and that the team is “in the s***”.
“That was a long day, thanks to Detroit, and thanks to a lot of things you can criticise about what we were doing out there today,” said Jones.
“That can’t be [us]. That can’t be. We’ve got to assess.
“We’ve got a bye week, but there’s nothing magic about a bye week. You can do some things differently [as far as] some of the things that bit us out there today.
Jerry Jones is standing by his coach but admits Dallas are in a bad place right nowGetty
“This was very concerning and it was very humbling and it was very – I felt bad because of all of our great fans, especially the ones in the stadium and certainly the ones that are all about the Cowboys. So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Following their bye, the Cowboys will play two games away from AT&T Stadium, against the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons.
Dallas are currently unbeaten on the road, but in the 49ers they face a team that has been the bane of their existence recently, and Jones knows they need to start turning things around at home.
“I think [playing at home] is an advantage. You don’t travel. You sleep in your own bed. It should be an advantage at home and that’s one of the first things you look at,” he said.
“How come we’re not playing better when we’ve got the advantage against the other team? You get to wake up in the morning and in familiar territory. All that’s stuff to think about.”
Jones wrapped up his 82nd birthday with a typically candid message.
“Generally speaking, I know you don’t need to hear me say this, but I’m well aware that we’re in the proverbial s***ter right now.”
The Cowboys were held without a touchdown at home for the first time since 2022 when they were beaten 19-3 by Tampa Bay.
Prior to their Divisional Round defeat to the Green Bay Packers last season, they had won all eight of their regular season games in 2023 – part of a 16-game winning streak.
Now they are staring down the barrel of five successive home defeats when they face NFC East rivals Philadelphia on November 10.
Before that the Cowboys hit their bye week in Week 7 and then head on the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8 and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9
talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, join us on Sunday from 1pm on talkSPORT2 for the New England Patriots @ the Jacksonville Jaguars