Phillips done

So much for Jerry Jones' claim that Wade Phillips was safe as the Dallas Cowboys head coach through this season. A day after the club suffered its fifth straight loss, a 45-7 shellacking at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, Jones showed Phillips the door.
Dallas hit the midway point of the season with a 1-7 record straight up and against the NFL spread. A 4-3 mark at this stage would've been enough to put Phillips on the hot seat given the expectations the Cowboys started with. The top favorite to win the NFC East with plus 105 futures back in July, Dallas (plus 525) was second behind New Orleans (plus 475) to win the NFC title and head to the Super Bowl which is at Cowboys Stadium next February.
Dreams of a Super Bowl on their home field have turned into a nightmare. Instead of playing for the whole enchilada, the Cowboys are in fight with winless Buffalo for the rights to the No.1 pick in the draft.
Phillips was in his fourth year at the helm of the club. Dallas was 34-22 under him in the regular season, 1-2 during postseason play.
The Cowboys' lone win this season came in Houston during Week 3, 27-13. Dallas was a 2½-point underdog, its only ATS win as well.
A 24-21 loss at Minnesota four games ago was the moment the wheels officially came off the cart. The last three losses–at the Giants, to Jacksonville and in Green Bay–have gotten progressively worse with Dallas outscored 121-59 in the span.
That span coincides to the three starts backup QB Jon Kitna has made in place of the injured Tony Romo (collar bone). But Romo wasn't going to be playing defense in any of those games and the lack of a running game was a key reason the Cowboys were 1-4 with Romo under center. Dallas ranks 31st in the NFL with just 75.6 yards per game on the ground.
The Cowboys also rank next-to-last giving up 232 points in eight games (29.0 per game). That's one point fewer than the 0-8 Bills. Dallas' five interceptions rank near the bottom of the NFL and the defensive unit has come up with just 10 turnovers all season while the offense has coughed it up 19 times.
Enter offensive coordinator Jason Garrett who will take over for Phillips. The coach-in-waiting behind Phillips will get his first test this Sunday in New York when the Cowboys travel to face the Giants.
Garrett's first home game as head coach will be in two weeks when the improved Lions come to Dallas. Four days later, the New Orleans Saints arrive for the Cowboys' annual Thanksgiving Day contest.