Jerry Jones compares playoff excitement to waiting for Santa Claus as a kid

Christmas was three weeks ago but for Jerry Jones, Sunday is the best, most merry day of the year. The Dallas Cowboys owner compared his excitement for the team’s journey in the playoffs to his excitement from his childhood as he waited for Santa Claus to come down the chimney.

“Man, I can’t stand it. And I haven’t slept,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan this week. “I can remember back when I was 7, 8, 9, 10 and Santa Claus was coming. And I just couldn’t stand it. If you asked me what I wanted, I would just almost pee down my leg, I’d be so nervous to even say it. That’s the kind of feeling I have here.”

The ultimate Christmas gift for the 81-year-old billionaire is a Super Bowl victory for his team that has had a three-decades-long drought. The first obstacle between Jones and the Lombardi Trophy is Mike McCarthy’s former team, the Green Bay Packers. Dallas is a seven-point favorite and the host team on Sunday in AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys clinched the NFC East over the Philadelphia Eagles as Philly fell in Week 18 to the Giants and Dallas beat Washington. Green Bay enters the matchup on a three-game win streak with victories against the Panthers, Vikings and Bears.

Jones affirms Mike McCarthy’s role with Cowboys

Win or lose in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers, it sure sounds like Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is safe.

Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones, speaking on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday, said he “couldn’t be more pleased” with McCarthy, calling him “the big difference this year” to the Cowboys’ success.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s done and how he’s coached. … I really mean it,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He has really made as big a difference from his head coaching vantage point as anybody could from any vantage point in the NFL. He’s the big difference this year.”

Those comments have to be reassuring for the skipper. Jones had a different tone the day prior, however, when asked about McCarthy’s job status for 2024 and beyond.

“I just think his record speaks for itself,” Jones said. “I think of what he has done and that we’ve put ourselves in this position over these last three years. Think that does speak for itself. We’ve got a lot of football left and no small part thanks to Mike. … We’ll see how each game goes.”