Cowboys' Mike McCarthy facing defining moment in Dallas

Although McCarthy became the first HC to lead Dallas to consecutive 12-win seasons in 27 years, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear he expects more, specifically a championship run.

"I think we're in better shape today to make a run at (a championship) than when we were sitting here this time last year," Jones said in July.

Since winning Super Bowl XXX 27 years ago, the Cowboys haven't made it back to the Super Bowl, let alone a conference championship game. During this timeframe, the Cowboys only won four playoff games.

It's not due to a lack of talent—Dallas has seven Pro Bowlers this season—but it seems to falter at the wrong moment, tying back to the coaching.

A 26-6 loss to Washington (8-8-1) on Sunday was a classic example. The Cowboys had one of their worst games of the season— turning the ball over twice and losing to rookie QB Sam Howell, who made his first career start— one week before the playoffs.

The loss caused alarm bells to ring. "Somehow McCarthy will have to rescue what became a mess on Sunday," wrote ESPN's Todd Archer.

The Cowboys could be on the brink of another early playoff disaster because they have to face Tom Brady in the wild-card round on the road in Tampa Bay. Brady has a perfect starting record (7-0) against Dallas.

But it also presents an opportunity. If McCarthy avoids another first-round exit, then eliminating the seven-time Super Bowl champion proves he and the Cowboys are ready to go on a run.