“It never leaves you” – Mike McCarthy recalls his ‘last-minute fiasco’ against the 49ers that ended the Cowboys’ Super Bowl run
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Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott
The Cowboys had a great regular season as they were 12-5 and won the NFC East. Every Cowboys fan out there hoped that Dallas might make a Super Bowl trip this year and ultimately lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Instead of this narrative, the Dallas Cowboys had a swift playoffs exit as they were defeated in the wild card round itself. The Cowboys faced San Franciso 49ers and were handed a shameful 17-23 defeat. There were a lot of reasons why the Cowboys lost the game but many have called into question head coach Mike McCarthy’s unusual play call when they had 14 seconds left on the clock.
Mike McCarthy talks about his last minute call and the criticism he received after the 49ers loss in the wild card round
Head coach McCarthy called a play that involved QB Dak Prescott rushing rather than throwing the ball to gain more yards. It seemed weird for a head coach to call this play since throwing the ball in the air would’ve given the Cowboys a better shot at the endzone. Additionally, with just 13 seconds left on the clock and the Cowboys trailing by 6 points, Prescott panicked and handed the ball to his center rather than the official. The official bumped into Prescott while setting the ball at the line of scrimmage and the clock eventually ran out. This was a rather tragic end to a great season.
Rich Eisen asked Mike how often he thought about the last second controversial play he called against the 49ers in the wild card game. “It never leaves you, that’s for sure,” McCarthy said on the Rich Eisen Show. “Definitely, I go through that play all the time and (think) what can we do better. That’s what coaching is all about. At the end of the day, it’s not about whether you practiced it or how many times you did it, it’s the success of the play.”
Mike received heavy criticism for calling that QB run play from almost everyone in the league. “That’s part of being a head coach, a leader. That comes with the territory. When you lose, criticisms come. It’s gonna come heavier and harder than probably you’ve ever experienced in your life when you work at the Dallas Cowboys. That’s part of the landscape,” McCarthy said.
One has to wonder what could’ve happened if McCarthy would’ve simply thrown the wide to a receiver. Maybe the Cowboys would’ve advanced in the playoffs maybe not, you never know! But that call definitely ended Dallas’ Super Bowl run.
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Yash Karandekar
(1023 Articles Published)