(Video) Mike McCarthy’s attempt to run a trick play fails as punter Bryan Anger almost throws an interception

The Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy attempted to turn a punt return into a first down but failed.

(Video) Mike McCarthy’s attempt to run a trick play fails as punter Bryan Anger almost throws an interception

Mike McCarthy's attempt to run a trick play failed (Image Credits: via Open Source/X)

Two weeks ago, the Dallas Cowboys took a 47-9 beating at the hands of the Detroit Lions. In that game, their opponents ran a lot of trick plays and kept the Cowboys’ defense guessing constantly. In Week 9, Mike McCarthy seems to have been inspired by the Lions and attempted to run a trick play of his own.

On a 4th and 2 play, Mike McCarthy had the Cowboys special teams set up on the field to give the illusion that the team was about to punt the ball. However, Dallas intended to throw the ball in an attempt to keep the play going and put some more points on the board.

YouTube video

The ball was snapped to punter Bryan Anger who instantly passed it to cornerback C.J. Goodwin who attempted to free himself towards the 50-yard line. However, the Falcons had seen right through Dallas’ trick. Rookie defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro was present to step in front of Goodwin and almost caught the ball.

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The ball slipped out of the rookie’s hands and the Cowboys wound up turning the ball over. It was interesting to see that Mike McCarthy wanted to try a trick play with the hope of keeping the offensive run going but there were questionable decisions made on his choice of players to send on the field in this situation. The HC appears to have taken Jerry Jones’ criticism of his playcalling seriously.

Mike McCarthy probably has a structure in place to lead Cowboys back to the Super Bowl
Mike McCarthy’s playcalling continues to be questionable (image via Imago)

In such a scenario, it would be best to send out the team’s best players, i.e. CeeDee Lamb on receiving. Goodwin is good at what he does but Lamb’s talent and skillset would have given him the edge over the defensive tackle in this case and he would most likely have caught the ball rendering the play a success.

The Dallas Cowboys‘ struggles on offense persist. To their credit, they utilized their running back room as Dalvin Cook took the field for the first time since joining America’s team. However, Rico Dowdle continues to be the first preference for the Cowboys.