Cowboys limp to their farewell, shrouded in mediocrity. This is the birthday present Jerry Jones gave himself.

The home advantage has been lost.

The defensive tenacity is gone.

The offensive power was missing.

And when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones turned 82 on Sunday, his birthday became another milestone, marking 27 consecutive seasons on the football calendar. Both in the short term – an embarrassing 47-9 loss at home to the Detroit Lions – and in the long term, remembering that Jones' Cowboys haven't won anything of significance in the Super Bowl since he was in his early 50s and was the only one in the pads, that Dak Prescott wore were diapers.

Let this be your frame of reference as these Cowboys head into their bye week. Full of injuries on defense, lacking identity on offense. Led by a head coach who is on guard, stuck at 3-3 and looking at the distant bottom of the NFC's most competent teams.

The NFC East? The Washington Commanders (4-2) look better.

The entire NFC North, from first to last, is probably better.

The Atlanta Falcons (4-2) of the NFC South? Probably better. Even the San Francisco 49ers — who are also 3-3 like the Cowboys and have their own problems — are miles ahead.

Through Sunday, the Cowboys have lost four straight at AT&T Stadium, including blowout losses to the Lions, the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 and the Green Bay Packers in last season's playoff matchup. The offensive line is a mess. The offensive system is unbalanced and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer appears lost trying to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Dan Quinn. Even AT&T Stadium's social media department is having some truly cringe-worthy moments, at one point on Sunday posting a photo of the home crowd on X along with a crowd count, but erase the score because it was so out of control. Naturally, this caught the attention of the Lions' social media account, who then went into overdrive.

In the midst of all this, Jones is not only getting older; apparently out of touch, with a strangely undefined plan of action that seems to cling to the belief that things will just get better with time. It might be… just enough to put Dallas on notice for the postseason and make head coach Mike McCarthy's expiring contract the only thing really talked about going forward.

After Sunday's loss, Jones told reporters he didn't have many answers other than hoping the bye week offers a chance for change.

“It was very concerning and very humbling… We still have a lot of work to do. “I’m glad we have this bye week,” Jones said. “It will give everyone an opportunity to come out and actually practice what makes you more successful in a game like this.”

“That was a shock. I thought we would do a lot of things better in this football game and I think we can. We just didn't do them out there today. I don't have many answers to the question “What are you going to do about it?” – we'll get to work. We're going to take advantage of the young guys we have out there, the reps they're getting, the experience they're getting, we're going to try to make sure that helps us get in a position to win some ballgames.”

The special thing about this farewell week is that the schedule is like a circular saw that comes out of it.

So far, the Cowboys' three wins have come at the expense of a 1-5 Cleveland Browns team that's on the rise, the 2-4 New York Giants team and a 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers team that's still learning Justin Fields to score at quarterback. Are you coming from farewell? In Weeks 8-12 they get a 49ers team getting healthier, a Falcons team finally settling in on offense with Kirk Cousins, an Eagles team getting healthier, a Houston Texans team, that is one of the best in the NFL (and could have Nico Collins back) and a Commanders franchise that is buoyant and gaining more confidence week by week.

Conversely, there's no telling when the Cowboys will have edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence back or what cornerback DaRon Bland will look like when he returns from a stress fracture in his foot. There is also no promise that the wideouts will suddenly become more than CeeDee Lamb and a rotating cast of extras. The backcourt? Dallas needs to learn how to establish leads in order to function with a running game, and it certainly hasn't found a way to do that yet.

There's a real possibility that Dallas could be fighting for its season by the end of November. And it will all be in the spotlight from week to week, with the big question being whether or not Jerry will shake up his coaching staff by firing McCarthy. This is exactly what anyone could have predicted in July when McCarthy entered the season in the final year of his contract. Even back then, this track seemed inevitable, regardless of the record. If the Cowboys went full throttle, the question would be what McCarthy would have to do to get a contract extension after the season. If the Cowboys failed, the question would be whether McCarthy would be fired in a final attempt to salvage the season.

This is what Jerry Jones created for himself. So he shouldn't have been surprised when, after his worst home defeat in his 34 years as club owner, he was asked whether he was thinking about changing coach.

“That’s not something I’m thinking about,” Jones told reporters, bristling at the suggestion. “Just so you’re clear, I’m not thinking about that.”

Well, he better get used to answering that question because this is the team he built, led by the players he extended and the head coach he didn't keep. Married together, they're a mediocre mess and facing a week-long break that may be the final break to patch up some of the cracks.

Happy 82nd, Jerry. This is the gift you gave yourself.