Getty Mike McCarthy of the Cowboys
It was not a stellar showing for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Bills, taking a 31-10 shellacking that probably could have been worse. Coach Mike McCarthy has been under the microscope in the days since for the one simple issue that is unquestionably undermining his team: They can’t win on the road.
And one of his former star players is pointing the finger squarely at McCarthy for the problem.
James Jones, a wide receiver who once led the league in touchdowns (with 14) while playing for McCarthy in Green Bay—and played eight seasons for him there—said that the Cowboys’ lackluster 3-4 record away from Dallas should certainly be blamed on McCarthy.
“This is concerning,” Jones said on FS1 with Colin Cowherd, as reported by SI.com. “Where’s the energy on the road? None. Players dead. Sideline dead. That’s them coming off the bus not ready to play. That’s coaching!”
Mike McCarthy’s Offense the Culprit?
The 2023 splits from the Cowboys offense—100% Mike McCarthy’s offense this season, remember—are not pretty when the team gets away from home. Quarterback Dak Prescott and the passing game have a passer rating of 119.4 at home, with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. But in the seven road games, that plummets to 84.0. He has eight touchdowns and five interceptions on the road.
The running game tells the same story. The ground attack averages 6.1 yards per play at home, but on the road, it averages 4.9 yards.
McCarthy suggested on Tuesday that the Cowboys should take a page from the book of their MLB neighbors, the World Series champion Rangers, who won every road playoff game this fall on their way to the title.
“Yeah, we gotta do what the Rangers do,” McCarthy said. “I’ll just say this. This team has responded pretty much every step of the way. So, I do have great confidence that they will respond to this challenge.”
Cowboys Will Need ‘Energy’ vs. Dolphins
The 3-4 record on the road gets even more worrisome for Mike McCarthy’s bunch when you consider that the three wins came against the Giants, Chargers and Panthers, teams that have a combined 12-30 record this season.
In the playoffs, the Cowboys are likely to have to go on the road and win at least one games against the likes of the Eagles or the 49ers. They’ve yet to show they can do that.
They will get another crack at it this weekend, though, when they face the Dolphins in Miami, a team that is 10-4 in the AFC and considered a Super Bowl contender. The key, according to Jones, will be energy.
“I can understand getting out-schemed and Buffalo is a good team,” Jones said. “But the Cowboys are going to have to go on the road in the playoffs and if they expect to win they’ll have to bring their own energy. It’s something we haven’t seen them do yet this season. They were also flat against the Niners, and these are big-time games. They won’t be playing the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs.
“You can’t come out flat. It wasn’t game-plan issues. They played the same defense and offense they’ve played all season. But the results were … just no energy.”