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After Loss to Eagles in Week 16, Odds of Garrett Remaining Cowboys Head Coach in 2020 Set at +300

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in NFL Football

Updated Apr 3, 2020 · 10:19 AM PDT

Jason Garrett
After an embarrassing loss with a playoff berth on the line in Philadelphia - can Jason Garrett save his job in Dallas? Photo by Keith Allison (Flickr).
  • The Cowboys have gone 4-8 since winning their first three games of the season
  • Dallas lost control of its playoff destiny following last Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
  • Running back Ezekiel Elliott has disappeared from the gameplan in the season’s second half

After a 17-9 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, the odds of Jason Garrett remaining as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach in 2020 have been set at +300.

Odds of Jason Garrett Being Cowboys’ Coach in 2020

Outcome Odds
Yes -500
No +300

Odds taken Dec. 24.

The Cowboys (7-8) no longer control their destiny in the NFC East going into the season’s final week as they trail the Eagles (8-7) by one game.

Two things must happen Sunday (Dec. 28) for Dallas to win the division. It must beat the Washington Redskins (3-12) at home and hope the Eagles also lose at the New York Giants (4-11).

The Cowboys are 10.5-point favorites and the Giants are 4.5-point underdogs.

Vultures Have Been Swirling

Garrett’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has been on shaky ground for quite some time as the Cowboys have gone 4-8 since winning their first three games of the season.

There has been plenty of speculation for weeks that the Cowboys not only needed to win the division for Garrett to keep his job but had to make a deep playoff run.

The odds were against Garrett returning as far back as Thanksgiving when the Cowboys were handled 26-15 by the Buffalo Bills at home.

Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham seemed to know those odds.

Now, the odds are against the Cowboys winning their fourth NFC East title in six seasons. They have not won consecutive division championships since capturing five in a row from 1992-96.

Wrapping up his ninth full season, Garrett has an 84-67 career regular-season record, but is just 2-3 in the playoffs. The Cowboys haven’t been to the NFC Championship game since the 1995 season, which was when they won the last of their five Super Bowl titles.

Head Scratching Game Plan

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott played with a sore right shoulder against the Eagles and has been bothered by right thumb and left wrist injuries this season.

Prescott completed 25 of 44 passes for 265 yards. With the Cowboys trailing by eight points, Prescott’s fourth-down pass intended for wide receiver Michael Gallup was broken up in the end zone by cornerback Sidney Jones with 1:15 remaining to seal the victory for the Eagles.

The Cowboys’ game plan was rather baffling as they ran just 16 times. Granted, the Eagles took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter but that wasn’t a large enough deficit to abandon the running game.

Where Did Zeke Go?

Furthermore, running back Ezekiel Elliott had proven unstoppable against the Eagles throughout his career, averaging 163 scrimmage yards in five games with the Cowboys going 5-0. However, Elliott carried 13 times for 47 yards Sunday and had seven catches for 37 yards.

Elliott’s impact on the offense has been minimal in the second half of the season as he has cracked 100 yards rushing only once in the last seven games.

Part of that is because Prescott is having a fine season. He has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 4,599 yards and 26 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Prescott is second in the NFL in passing yardage behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Jameis Winston (4,908).

Yet it is hard to understand why Garrett has been turning away from Elliott, especially with the Cowboys signing the 24-year-old to a six-year, $90-million contract during the week of the season opener. That is the largest contract ever for a running back.

Elliott wanted a heavy workload in Philadelphia.

Elliott’s 1,235 rushing yards are fourth in the league. Yet he hasn’t been much of a factor while the Cowboys’ playoff hopes have faded.

Jerry’s Patience Wearing Out

Jerry Jones has had seven coaches since buying the Cowboys in 1989 and firing the legendary Tom Landry. Until Garrett, the longest-tenured coach in the Jones Era was Jimmy Johnson, who last five seasons after replacing Landry and won two Super Bowls.

Garrett has nearly doubled Johnson’s tenure and hasn’t come close to a Super Bowl. In fact, they likely won’t even make the playoffs and it’s almost impossible to see Garrett salvaging his job in that scenario.

The last time odds were posted, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the favorite to coach the Cowboys in 2020.

Playing the “no” for +300 is the only choice in this situation.

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