The disappointment of the Dallas Cowboys after the bitter playoff exit against the San Francisco 49ers is great. Despite a top-class roster and a strong regular season, “America’s Team” once again misses the big throw. Now a long offseason begins for those responsible.

Munich – Actually Jerry Jones is known as a patient and forgiving person.

The owner of the Dallas Cowboys considers loyalty one of the most important tools in the shark tank NFL. Nevertheless, after the disappointing 17:23 defeat in the Wild Card Round against the San Francisco 49ers, the 79-year-old’s hat burst.

“It’s a big disappointment. I’m down that we didn’t get it done,” he grumbled after the game: “In a year when you have a team like this together, you just have to win today. It wasn’t enough and that’s brutally disappointing,” Jones said.

Despite some inconsistencies, the team owner won’t dwell on any personnel decisions – at least for now.

Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy firmly in the saddle?

One of the main players on Sunday night was head coach Mike McCarthy. The 58-year-old caused astonishment with several controversial decisions on the sidelines. Throughout the game, he also failed to get the high-powered offence going.

Most notably, many Cowboys fans rubbed their eyes when it took far too long for the offence to return to the field after a successful fake punt. Even though the assistant coaches also play a role in this situation: He is the head coach and makes the decisions – and is held accountable for them when in doubt.

Decision-maker Jones quickly waved off a possible coaching change after the game: “I’m not going to discuss something like that – certainly not at this point. There is no discussion,” he explained, “Coaching, preparation is not crucial right now. That’s not up for debate,” Jones said consistently.

The head coach himself also sees little threat to his position within the franchise: “I have no concerns. I’m proud to be able to stand here today. I’m proud of the team,” McCarthy declared confidently. However, the coach should also know that there are no guarantees in a success-oriented sport like football.

Dallas Cowboys: What role does Kellen Moore play?

McCarthy’s personal future is also likely closely tied to that of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. According to a “CBS” report, Owner Jones wants to keep Moore with all his might: “Don’t be surprised if Moore is the new head coach in Dallas sooner rather than later. He definitely doesn’t want to lose him,” an inside source close to Jones is reported to have said.

Moore is considered one of the most talented assistant coaches in the league and is predestined for a head-coaching job in the coming years. He has already interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their vacant head coaching position in recent weeks. He is also expected to interview with the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins in the near future.

So to convince Moore to stay in Dallas, Jones could take the radical step of making him the new head coach. “It’s not like he’s never done anything like this before. You have to remember what he did to keep Jason Garrett. It would fit into the bigger picture,” the source explained further.

At the time, Jones convinced Garrett, who was eager to leave, with a high-paying contract and a promise to make him head coach in the near future. Due to his controversial play call in the closing seconds, however, Moore cannot be entirely absolved of blame for the Cowboys’ defeat – which is why his future is still completely open at the moment.

Besides Moore, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is also considered a candidate for one of the vacant head-coaching positions this offseason. He is also said to be interviewing with several teams and could leave the Cowboys after just one season. So it’s quite possible that “America’s Team” will see a bigger shake-up in the coaching staff than Jones is currently comfortable with.

Dallas Cowboys: Offensive superstars disappoint

As strong as the Cowboys have been during the regular season, the superstars’ performance in the decisive situations against San Francisco was all the more disappointing. The performance of quarterback Dak Prescott was emblematic.

With 254 passing yards and two touchdowns, his numbers don’t read bad at first glance, but only 23 of 43 passes completed are evidence of the playmaker’s shaky performance. He received little support from the running game: Ezekiel Elliott managed just 31 yards and was hardly a factor in the offence – as so often this year.

Even more disappointing was probably only the so highly praised passing offence. Even if Amari Cooper (64 yards, one touchdown) and Dalton Schultz (89 yards) weren’t total failures, little went right in the league’s best offence. Shooting star CeeDee Lamb caught only one pass from Prescott and looked like he had been sidelined.

A look at the squad composition for the coming season in comparison to this one shows how heavy this missed opportunity could weigh.

Dallas Cowboys: Best roster in ages squandered?

The fact that most of the public’s criticism is directed at the coaches has to do with the high-calibre squad the Cowboys assembled this season. It’s also why Jones finds it hard to fathom how the firing could have backfired so badly.

“When you have that combination of players at your disposal, you just have to have success,” the team owner explained, “We all know how it goes in the NFL. The weaker teams prepare to sign each other’s best players. And I think we have one of the best teams,” he concluded.

With this, Jones alludes to the possible personnel bloodletting that the Cowboys could now face. Several key players such as linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, tight end Dalton Schultz or wide receiver Michael Gallup are on the verge of leaving due to the tight cap situation – only a few are likely to settle for smaller contracts again. In the end, the Cowboys’ regular season was too good, which ironically could be responsible for the many departures because these players expect significantly more money elsewhere.

So it is all the more annoying that in the end it was only enough for one defeat in the Wild Card Round in the current season. Finding a similarly balanced squad, peppered with cheap veterans and rookies in combination with superstars like Prescott and Co. will be a big to impossible challenge for the Cowboys.

Whether at the coaching or player level, Jerry Jones and Cowboys officials are in for what will now be a long and difficult offseason.