Micah Parsons calls it “unfair” as the Dallas Cowboys’ playoff hopes fade

Bad luck and karma.

These were the words Micah Parsons used to describe the Dallas Cowboys’ lost season. The team fell to 5-8 on the season after a 27-20 loss to the Bengals on Monday Night Football, a primetime matchup featuring two teams out of the playoffs due to disappointing seasons.

“I’m hurt. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Parsons said. “It seems like we’re paying a debt that isn’t fair.”

The final payment due was a special teams fumble in which the Cowboys botched a blocked punt. Nick Vigil blocked Ryan Rehkow’s punt in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Cowboys good field position for a possible go-ahead run. But Amani Oruwariye tried to give the ball back after it crossed the line of scrimmage, allowing the Bengals to recover it.

Cincinnati took advantage of the extra chance and won the game.

It was the culmination of another unforgettable night for the Cowboys. The team had three players leave with injuries, most notably DeMarvion Overshown with a right knee injury that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called “very concerning.” Cooper Beebe (concussion) and CJ Goodwin (hamstring injury) were also injured.

The Cowboys’ playoff chances continued to dwindle. It will take a borderline miracle for the Cowboys to reach the postseason, as the discussion surrounding the team shifts to the 2025 season.

The biggest question is the status of coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy and his entire staff are in the final years of their contracts, clearing a path for Jones to part ways. However, Monday Night Football analyst and Cowboys star Troy Aikman caused a stir before the game when he said during a radio interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that he expects McCarthy to return in 2025.

“Other than Bill Belichick, I don’t know who you’re going to hire with a better resume,” Aikman said. “I just feel like for a team that I really don’t think is that far away… I like the way this team is playing right now, even without their franchise quarterback (Dak Prescott) .

“I feel like it’s a team that really believes in Mike McCarthy. I feel like the locker room wants him back. I think he’s a really good football coach. I think Jerry Jones also thinks he’s a really good football coach. As we stand and talk now, I expect Mike McCarthy to be back in 2025.”

The Bengals find themselves in a similar situation, where much of the conversation within their organization revolves around the 2025 season and whether Zac Taylor is still the right man to lead the team. And in a sign of where the focus is — on next season, not this one — one of the key storylines was Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow saying he was confident the team could re-sign receiver Tee Higgins in the offseason .

“I know I’m going to do whatever it takes to get him back, and so is he,” Burrow said.

In the end, it was a lackluster primetime game between two teams that started the season as competitors and are now focused on next season. At least there was a suitable simulcast on the theme of “Simpsons”.