Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and his team got their fourth win of the season on Monday Night Football, but it was far from perfect. A win is a win, but owner Jerry Jones even pointed out that he would’ve made a different decision in a key moment of the 20-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
As the first half was coming to a close, the Cowboys drove the ball down the field, but instead of taking shots at the end zone with 14 seconds left, McCarthy elected to run down the clock and kick a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
The following day, on October 17, Jones was asked about his coach’s clock management. The Dallas owner’s thoughts on the matter are clear, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
“Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on Dallas settling for a field goal in the final seconds of the first half last night rather than trying to run another play: ‘This is not an impassioned response to your question at all, but I thought we should’ve tried another pass in the end zone and use the clock accordingly.’ Does it show a lack of faith in Dak? Jones: ‘Not at all. Not at all. No, it doesn’t reach that point with me at all,'” Machota posted on X.
It’s not a personal call-out of Mike McCarthy by any means. However, Jones did not shy away from saying he would’ve made a different decision.
Dak Prescott on Important Cowboys Win
After a 42-10 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, the Cowboys needed to rebound with a win over a solid team in the Chargers. The win relieved some pressure from the roster, especially quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott threw 3 interceptions in the loss to San Francisco but did not turn over the ball once against Los Angeles. The Cowboys QB also threw for 272 yards and scored two total touchdowns. After the game, Prescott made it clear that it was the type of performance he and the Cowboys needed.
“S*** yeah. Yeah, it was a must-win,” Prescott said during his postgame press conference. “Yeah, [it is] early in the season, but 4-2 or 3-3, it’s a huge difference. It just is.”
Now, the Cowboys enter their bye week at 4-2 with a good performance to build off of.
Brandon Aubrey Comes Up Clutch for Mike McCarthy
In terms of offseason additions, there may not be any Cowboys players doing more than Brandon Aubrey. Sure, it’s the kicker spot. But Dallas is already leaning on the former Birmingham Stallions kicker in a big way. Mike McCarthy’s end-of-half decision only highlights that fact.
Through six games, Aubrey is a perfect 16 of 16 on field goal attempts. He does have a missed extra-point attempt. Interestingly enough, that miss happened on his very first NFL kick, in the 40-0 Week 1 rout of the New York Giants.
Since that first kick, Aubrey has made 28 consecutive tries of any kind. While McCarthy is getting questioned for not being more aggressive to end the first half on Monday, the trust in Aubrey is certainly a factor in his willingness to accept a field goal.