Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy had an unusually strong reaction after his team was stopped in overtime on a pivotal fourth down play.
McCarthy had opted to go for in on fourth-and-3 from the Green Bay 35 instead of attempting a 53-yard field goal on the opening drive of overtime. Dallas did not convert, as Dak Prescott was under heavy pressure and threw a desperation incomplete pass as he was being swallowed up by the defensive line.
The reaction from the usually even-keeled McCarthy said it all.
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McCarthy’s decision to go for it can certainly be criticized, but he almost certainly did not trust his defense to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers from finding the end zone. Considering it took the Packers four plays to get to the Dallas 7-yard line, he may not have been wrong to think that.
Sunday’s game no doubt meant a lot to McCarthy, as it marked his return to a place where he coached and won a Super Bowl with the Packers. To see his hopes of victory fall away like that had to be frustrating, but he at least got a nice message from his opponent in the postgame handshake.
