The Dallas Cowboys suffered a devastating loss to the Eagles in which they came up just short in the final moments of the game.
The story of the matchup was a “game of inches,” as the Cowboys had several missed opportunities or plays called back that ultimately changed the outcome of the game.
In the 28-23 loss, Dak Prescott stepped just out of bounds on what was initially thought to be a successful two-point conversion, and there was an overturned touchdown from Luke Schoonmaker on fourth-and-goal at the Philadelphia 1-yard line — a game of inches.
The game was also uncharacteristic of the Cowboys’ defense, as they created no turnovers. After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy discussed some of the key moments in the game and how the team will move forward after the loss.
Mike McCarthy: ‘We Came Up Too Short on a Couple of Plays’
After the game, McCarthy acknowledged that the team came up just short in several key moments.
“Stating the obvious, it’s a game of inches, and you know we came up too short on a couple of plays,” McCarthy said. “But I love the way our team plays; I love our play style. Give the Eagles credit; it’s a great home environment here. Love to come here and complete. We knew this was the kind of game it was going to be, and like I said, we came up short.”
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When asked if it was hard to believe how the team drove from the 14-yard line to the six as quickly as they did in the final drive of the game, McCarthy said it was all part of the plan.
“We put a tremendous amount of time into those situations, more so than ever in my career, particularly in the last three years, so no, I’m not surprised at all,” McCarthy said. “Even that last throw, that’s something you practice a lot … Our guys were very comfortable in that situation because of the work they put in.”
While the final drive came up just short on a pass to CeeDee Lamb, where he was unable to fight to the end zone, McCarthy said the way they played in the matchup will carry positive momentum forward.
“I felt last week we kind of turned a corner,” McCarthy said. “I’m a huge believer that you get whatever you put into it, whether it’s life or a game of football. I thought our team really hit their stride in last week’s game. Played well — did it again this week. I came in here expecting to play well, so as long as we stay after that, there’s an ebb and flow in every game, but there’s a vibe that gets created when you get into a routine, and you start building that momentum and so forth.”
In the loss, Prescott completed 65.9% of his passes for 374 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. McCarthy was complimentary of the quarterback’s performance.
“I thought Dak Prescott played extremely well, and under the circumstances, it’s a tough place to play,” McCarthy said. “I thought he played his a** off.”
While McCarthy acknowledged that a win would have been nice, he still feels confident about the path forward and believes the team will learn from their mistakes this week.
“A win tonight would have been excellent because you get a nice chunk of confidence coming out of these wins,” McCarthy said. “But we know who we are; there’s no excuses. We needed to make one more play tonight.”
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