Mike McCarthy reveals detail about final sequence that makes Dallas Cowboys' win even better
One of the most surprising aspects of the Dallas Cowboys' win over the New York Giants happened late in the game when Cooper Rush and his offense needed to move the chains to secure the 27-20 win. Despite Rico Dowdle averaging over five yards per rush attempt on Thursday, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy took a […]
One of the most surprising aspects of the Dallas Cowboys' win over the New York Giants happened late in the game when Cooper Rush and his offense needed to move the chains to secure the 27-20 win.
Despite Rico Dowdle averaging over five yards per rush attempt on Thursday, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy took a much more aggressive route: He called a quick pass to Jalen Brooks on first down and when the team needed to convert a third and two, he didn't hesitate to call another pass as Rush found a diving Brandin Cooks for the first down. Ballgame.
Obviously, calling passes in this situation was risky because had the play been incomplete, the Cowboys would've been doing the Giants a favor and stopping the clock. But McCarthy was always confident in the plan and he revealed a detail about the sequence that made it feel even better.
"When we started that series, we were going to run it and take those two timeouts off the clock," McCarthy told reporters postgame. "That was the third-down call—that third down was a call decided before the series even started. That clearly tells you what we think of Brandin, it was great to have him back."
Whether you agree with McCarthy's late-game aggression or not, you've got to respect the Cowboys' play-caller sticking to his guns and knowing who he'd go with on the most important play of the game since the beginning of the drive.
Cooks only registered three catches for 16 yards but two of those were huge for Dallas as not only did he catch the final first down but also added a touchdown grab.
The latter came early in the third quarter as Cooks ran one of his signature routes, a horizontal path from right to left designed to beat man coverage in the red zone. The Cowboys' offensive line gave Rush plenty of time for the play to develop and he hit Cooks in stride.
It was a longer time without Cooks on the field than expected but it was a promising return outing for the veteran. He's someone the Cowboys clearly respect and should continue to be WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb.
"It's great having Brandin back full-time on every front, frankly," McCarthy said. "He's a great leader and a wonderful human being. Everybody loves working with him and enjoys having him around. He's just so consistent, precise, and detailed in everything he does. He's a great example for the young players.
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