For the first time in ages, theDallas Cowboys finally won a game. They defeated the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon by a 34-26 final, improving their dismal record to 4-7.

Quarterback Cooper Rush finished 24-of-37 for 247 yards and two touchdowns, while Rico Dowdle racked up 86 yards on 19 carries.

The victory was a long time coming for the Cowboys, who hadn’t triumphed since their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 6. And for head coach Mike McCarthy, it felt good via The Fort-Worth Star Telegram.

“Excellent team win,” he said. “These are the way these division games are supposed to go. But you know, it is just great to see our guys rewarded for just staying the course, you know, just grinding it out. So, the messaging has been great.”

“Going up into it, no one’s really blinking just with everything going around us, so it feels good to win. It’s been a minute.”

Meanwhile, he had a special shoutout for quarterback Cooper Rush, who picked up his first win of the season since replacing the injured Dak Prescott under center.

“I thought Cooper did a great job managing the game,” he said. “I thought the run game teed up some completions for him. I thought he was very decisive and was clean with that.”

“We had some plays taken off us in the passing game because of penalties, but I thought he did a great job managing the game, and I think it was his best one so far.”

The Cowboys won’t have long to enjoy this victory before they reconvene to face the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

Will Mike McCarthy return to the Cowboys next season?

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy walks into the locker room at halftime at MetLife Stadium
© Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cowboys head coach is without a contract for next season, though team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has all but officially dismissed any notion that he would replace McCarthy with time left in the year, stating his regret at making in-season changes in the past, via CBS Sports.

“I’ve made a change early and on a coach with Chan Gailey [when he went 18-14 in 1998 and 1999 combined], and I’ve always regretted that. I’ve made a change during the season [firing Wade Phillips in 2010 after he went 1-7], and I’ve regretted that,” Jones said postgame. “That’s the music I’m listening to.”

It will certainly be something to pay attention to over the offseason for the direction the Cowboys choose to go in in terms of McCarthy’s future.