Mike McCarthy defends failed spurious punt that helped lead to Cowboys blowout Thanksgiving loss to Washington

Mike McCarthy defends failed spurious punt that helped lead to Cowboys blowout Thanksgiving loss to Washington

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t precisely have the happiest of Thanksgivings on Thursday as they were served a 41-16 blowout by the hands of the Washington Soccer Group. While this game finally got out of hand, it used to be largely a one-score game throughout the principle three quarters. What with out a doubt lit a match to the Washington offense and allowed them to enter lightspeed used to be a spurious punt play called by Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy with 12: 54 to play within the fourth quarter. 

At that level, Dallas used to be down accurate 20-16 and in a situation to punt it a long way flung from their admire 24-yard line. Alternatively, as an different of booting it the scale of the subject to give Washington a out of the ordinary extra troublesome street to commute to win the tip zone, McCarthy elected to deploy a spurious punt

Security Darian Thompson took the inform snap, ran left, and pitched it to receiver Cedrick Wilson, who used to be turning encourage toward the center of the subject. By the seems of the play, he either had the option of running it or throwing it to punter Hunter Niswander. Washington wasn’t fooled by the attempted trickery of the Cowboys as linebacker Khaleke Hudson first eliminated Wilson’s option of passing it to Niswander and then crashed in on him as he tried to glean encourage to the road of scrimmage. 

“It used to be a solid play call. It be a accurate play originate,” McCarthy said of the failed spurious punt after the game, via the loyal crew web region. “Their gunner made a accurate play, came off of it, he place us in a high-low read for Cedrick. That is the persona of those plays. It is probably you’ll maybe maybe maybe maybe never convert them obviously must you create not call them, must you create not deem in them. I clearly understood the recount when it used to be called.”

The failed opportunity to preserve the offensive drive alive for Dallas absolute top place the club in a deeper hole. On the principle play after the turnover on downs, Washington running encourage Antonio Gibson ran for a 23-yard landing, his second of three scores on the afternoon. After that failed spurious punt, Washington rattled off 21 unanswered aspects to roll away with the preserve conclude. 

“It is probably you’ll maybe maybe maybe maybe honest not glean anyplace must it is probably you’ll maybe maybe maybe be fascinated with negatives your entire time,” McCarthy said when requested how out of the ordinary the probability of a adversarial result weighed into his resolution to fabricate that spurious punt call. “There may maybe be obviously movie survey that goes into the resolution and when to call it. But in case you call it, it is probably you’ll maybe maybe maybe be obviously taking a survey to remodel it. You obviously realize on fourth-down calls what your alternatives are. You either convert it otherwise you create not convert it. The shuffle of the game, all those issues are factored into that resolution. I’m very confident in our gamers and place them into situation to fabricate plays.”

This loss momentarily puts Washington (4-7) in first situation within the NFC East. They are going to continue to preserve that situation atop the division if the Giants (3-7) lose to the Bengals on Sunday and the Eagles (3-6-1) tumble to the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Evening Soccer.” Meanwhile, Dallas currently sits in last situation after what has proven to be a pretty mountainous swing game within the NFC East. 

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