'It Was Good!' Cowboys' McCarthy Reacts to Return to Play-Calling
There’s no question the star of Sunday Night Football was the Dallas Cowboys’ defense. They embarrassed the New York Giants, in MetLife Stadium, 40-0.
Call it a statement win or a testament to Dallas’ Super Bowl expectations. It was also a victory for Mike McCarthy and his offensive play calling.
It’s fair to not be sold on the offense after the defensive avalanche sealed the win before halftime. Put an asterisk next to McCarthy’s grade, but don’t let the defense detract from his day.
The Cowboys’ offense had the sixth-most expected points added per play on Sunday. They outgained the Giants, 265 yards to 171. Quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t turn the ball over, nor was he sacked.
McCarthy spoke after the game about his return to play-calling.
“It was good,” McCarthy said. “I think like everything, because of the weather, you had to adjust and I thought the offensive staff and the communication of players was excellent tonight.”
The rain clearly had an impact on Sunday’s contest. New York struggled to snap and catch practically all night long. Dallas, however, didn’t run into as much trouble.
“There’s always going to be things that I want to do better and that’s no different tonight,” he added. “It was a relatively clean game.”
The start the Cowboys got off to likely assured they were going to win, but a poor McCarthy showing would have added some questions heading into Week 2. Instead, Prescott kept the offense on schedule, got the ball out quick, and racked up an easy 143 passing yards. Some drops dampened the box score, too.
“Dak did an excellent job commanding that and being smart in the decision making,” McCarthy concluded. “Protecting the football was going to be a big challenge tonight, and I thought Dak and the offense did a really nice job of that.”
McCarthy did his job, even if it was an easy one. Dallas will look to carry Sunday’s momentum into a tighter contest next week against the New York Jets.
