Mike McCarthy received credit for some unique motivational tactics — smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer to pound home points — before the Dallas Cowboys’ upset win over the Minnesota Vikings last week.
Four days later he had a couple of other ideas that didn’t turn out so well.
In fact, the Cowboys’ first-year coach deserves much of the blame in a 41-16 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Washington Football Team in an unlikely battle for first place between two 3-7 teams that was much closer than the score indicates.
Consider this: The score was tied with five minutes left in the first half and the Cowboys facing a fourth and inches from their own 19 when McCarthy decided to gamble. Maybe that wouldn’t have been so bad, except that he didn’t call for a handoff to Zeke Elliott or a quarterback sneak but a down-and-out passing play that was snuffed out by Washington.
Six plays later, Alex Smith threw to Logan Thomas for a five-yard TD that not only gave Washington its first lead of the game, but also one it would never relinquish.
“It was a clean matchup, obviously had 1-on-1 on the perimeter,” McCarthy said of the failed gamble. “Obviously the result wasn’t what we were looking for. Those are plays, you look to create opportunities. It was a good play call … we just didn’t convert.”
The Cowboys were within four points early in the fourth quarter when, on a fourth and 10 just inside their own 25, McCarthy called for a fake punt. Again the gamble was stopped, and on the next play, Antonio Gibson ran 23 yards for a backbreaking touchdown that put the Football Team up 27-16.
“Obviously we didn’t execute it,” McCarthy said of the fake punt while again insisting that the opportunity was there. “Obviously it’s ultimately my responsibility when particularly a play like that doesn’t work. We’re trying to generate a big play at that point in the game. The information that you look for going into it, it was a solid call.”
Washington threw on a couple of late touchdowns — that were akin to a full salt shaker being emptied into a wound — and now sits atop the worst division in football.
Rookie running back Gibson was the offensive star of the day, carrying the ball 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns, and added five receptions for another 21 yards.
Aside from Amari Cooper’s six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, the Football Team’s underrated defence shut down the Cowboys.
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