The Dallas Cowboys, whose quarterback, Dak Prescott, has been lost for the season with injury, fell to a disappointing mark of 3-6 after being routed — and then some, to the tune of 34-6 — by the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Sunday.

The Cowboys came into 2024 with high hopes after making the NFC playoffs last year but then getting blown out 48-32 in the wild-card round by the upstart Green Bay Packers and their young, up-and-coming quarterback, Jordan Love.

Head coach McCarthy, who came to Dallas in 2020 and made the playoffs in both 2021 and ‘22, is sqyarely on the hot seat by almost every account.

Indeed, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones plays to win.

The Browns, who had a bye over the weekend, last played two Sundays ago when they were routed at home — and then some, to the tune of 27-10, and only that close because of a late touchdown by Cleveland — to the Los Angeles Chargers, dropping their record to a disappointing 2-7.

They came into 2024 with high hopes after making the playoffs last season and then getting blown out 45-14 in the AFC wild-card by the upstart Houston Texans and their young, up-and-coming quarterback, CJ Stroud.

By many accounts, head coach Kevin Stefanski, who came to the Browns in 2020 and guided them to the playoffs that first season but missed the next two years, is not believed to be on the hot seat.

But co-owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam claim they want to win.

Hmmm.

So, the situations are very similar, but McCarthy, who has been more successful than Stefanski in that his playoff teams were all 12-5, better than anything that the Browns coach has ever done, is in trouble while his counterpart is not.

Is it that winning is a higher priority in Dallas than Cleveland? And if so, then why is that since Browns fans deserve success just as much, if not more, than those of the Cowboys?

Or is it that the Haslams really don’t care as much about winning as they say they do?

Something is not right here, and that’s bad news for Browns fans and perhaps also for the Haslams in terms of their credibility as they try to muster up support for the new domed stadium they plan to build in Brook Park. You can’t park a junker of a team like this one and a failed commitment to win in that new house. It just wouldn’t fly.

Steve King