Cowboys HC has perfect response to big controversy vs. Jaguars
The Dallas Cowboys held a three-point lead with only 1:20 remaining in the game and faced third-and-10. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who had scored three touchdowns in the previous four drives, had one timeout and were hoping for a miracle. Out of the shotgun, Dak Prescott threw a deep shot down the sideline to Noah Brown. […]
The Dallas Cowboys held a three-point lead with only 1:20 remaining in the game and faced third-and-10. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who had scored three touchdowns in the previous four drives, had one timeout and were hoping for a miracle.
Out of the shotgun, Dak Prescott threw a deep shot down the sideline to Noah Brown. After a fraction of a second in which it looked like Brown had adjusted for the ball, the ball fell incomplete and the Cowboys were forced to punt.
What happened later is going to live in the Cowboys' short-term memory. The Jaguars put together a seven-play drive to score the game-tying field goal and sent it into overtime, where a walk-off pick-six ended it to give the Jags their biggest win in years.
The decision to throw it on third down will be highly scrutinized moving forward, considering the Jaguars used their timeout to set the field goal.
"They had a timeout there, so your decision is to offensively play conservative and run the ball to take the time off, or you try to end the game," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters postgame via ESPN's Todd Archer.
"It's a pretty simple decision," McCarthy added. "When it converts it's great, when it doesn't, you get criticized for it."
Watching the game live, before knowing the result of the game, I thought it was a good call by the Cowboys. Let your quarterback seal the deal. Of course, it didn't work, but I'll rarely complain about letting your quarterback try to win the game.
Think about it this way.
Despite a couple of costly moments, Dak Prescott and the offense had a very decent game. So much so that they put 34 points on the board. Meanwhile, the defense allowed over seven yards per play. It was terrible on third down. And the unit was clearly struggling while navigating multiple injuries.
Sometimes, we let result bias get the best of us. But that was a solid call by the Cowboys coaching staff.
Plus, respect to Mike McCarthy for knowing he'd get criticized but still doing what was best for the team. I'm sure we'll have plenty of fair criticism for the Cowboys' coaches but you won't find one from me when it comes to this decision.
Featured image via Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
