Mike McCarthy discusses key shift that has caused Cowboys' wins and that might help him keep his job after all
Believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves on a win streak. It might be nothing but a two-game run, nothing fancy, but nevertheless, a win streak. And a meaningful one, too. After all, the Cowboys went on a 0-5 run that battered in team morale down to a pulp. Now, vibes are different in […]
Believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves on a win streak. It might be nothing but a two-game run, nothing fancy, but nevertheless, a win streak.
And a meaningful one, too. After all, the Cowboys went on a 0-5 run that battered in team morale down to a pulp. Now, vibes are different in Dallas and they should be. While it might be too late to save the season, the Cowboys are focused on winning one game at a time and up next they get the 4-8 Cincinnati Bengals followed by the 3-9 Carolina Panthers.
While these two teams sound more dangerous than their records suggest due to their recent offensive outbursts, the Cowboys have also gone through a significant shift that's allowed them to win games and that might even translate into head coach Mike McCarthy sticking around beyond 2024.
I'm talking about the Cowboys' turnover ratio. Overall, Dallas has the sixth-worst turnover differential in the league at minus seven. Over the last couple of games, they're at plus four, which would rank Top 10 in the league.
"I love it, we’re plus-four (in turnover ratio) the last two weeks and obviously had takeaways in the Houston game too," McCarthy told reporters Monday. "We’ve got to keep that zero on the board in terms of taking care of the football and avoiding giveaways. That’s very, very important—something we’ve been emphasizing more than ever. We’ll definitely need that this week against Cincinnati."
Part of the Cowboys' diminished giveaways has stemmed from the fact that Cooper Rush has been taken care of in the pocket. In the last couple of games, he's dropped back 71 times and been pressured only 11. That's a 15% pressure rate, which would rank the lowest among 41 qualifying quarterbacks in the NFL, per PFF stats.
It also is evidence of McCarthy's recent gameplans, which have increasingly leaned on running the ball and required Rush to get rid of the ball quickly. Rush's average time to throw is the quickest in the league this season.
Now granted, it's not only been about taking care of the ball but also about taking it away from opponents. McCarthy acknowledged Mike Zimmer's defense improvement in this department.
"The more takeaways you get is clearly based on putting yourself in the right position," added McCarthy. "We’re doing a better job of that—proper angles, gang tackling, second guy in, all the key coaching points for takeaway opportunities. I think our guys have done a really nice job recognizing that and applying it in game situations, which is where it really matters."
McCarthy's position right now is no secret. He's coaching out his deal as Cowboys head coach and even if playoffs are not a strong possibility right now, he's auditioning for a contract extension on a weekly basis, something Jerry Jones has recently claimed to be a possibility.
If he's to stick around, he needs his offense to continue to take care of the ball and his defense to have a nose for it.
