Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
Despite star quarterback Dak Prescott being out since Week 1, the Cowboys have been able to keep pace with Philadelphia to an extent.
Unfortunately, the ‘Boys were outclassed in pretty much every way during the first half of their game against the division-rival Eagles in Philadelphia.
How bad was it? Starting quarterback Cooper Rush completed 5-of-16 passes for 36 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The second pick into the hands of star Eagles cornerback Darius Slay was especially bad as Dallas found itself down 20-3 through 30 minutes.
BIG. PLAY. SLAY.
— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2022
Another @Eagles INT in the first half! #FlyEaglesFly @bigplay24slay
: #DALvsPHI on NBC
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/exBLpcJhjS pic.twitter.com/UVEl4n2yeS
As for Mike McCarthy, he made a decision in the second quarter that confused the masses. On third and nine with less than 10 minutes remaining, CeeDee Lamb seemed to catch a pass from Rush for a first down. Rather than challenging the initial call of it being short, McCarthy had the team go quickly to the line. The fourth-down attempt failed miserably, setting Philadelphia up inside the Cowboys' 35-yard-line. The team would settle for a field goal and a 17-0 lead.
It’s no secret that McCarthy has been an embattled figure in Big D. Short of a deep playoff run, he could very well be out of a job after three seasons with the Cowboys. Those watching the game were not too thrilled with his coaching performance during the first half of “Sunday Night Football.”
How one-sided was the first half of this game? Philadelphia tallied 173 total yards and 12 first downs. Dallas had four first downs of its own with a mere 81 total yards. It really seems like McCarthy did not have his team ready to play in this one. Reactions to the first two quarters tell us this story.
Mike McCarthy didn't challenge this. guess how 4th-and-inches went pic.twitter.com/sgyNzsENpJ
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 17, 2022
Lots of talk about why Mike McCarthy didn't challenge that third down reception by CeeDee Lamb. Cowboys hurried up to get a play off and it didn't work. So much went wrong on that sequence.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) October 17, 2022
Really felt like McCarthy should have challenged there.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 17, 2022
It looked like CeeDee had the first down.
Rushing up (NPI) seemed like some panic.
Mike McCarthy gave the #Eagles 3 points with that call.
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) October 17, 2022
Jake Elliott gets the 54-yard FG. Philly has scored 17 points in the 2Q. https://t.co/CaGJ5Nv0K5
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