Things could not have gotten off to much worse of a start for the Dallas Cowboys than they did against the San Francisco 49ers in their Wild Card matchup over the weekend. San Francisco snatched control of the game early, opening up a 13-0 lead in the second quarter.
Dallas’ defense holding San Francisco to three field goals in the first half kept the team in the game. The 49ers could have put the Cowboys away early, but the door was left ajar by settling for so many field goals.
Eventually, the Cowboys’ offense looked like they were able to take advantage. The defense had put them in a position to win the game. Despite losing by as many as 16 points in the second half, Dallas had a chance to finish off the comeback and pick up the victory.
Alas, it was not meant to be. The Cowboys fell short, as their offense sputtered most of the afternoon. The end of the game sequence, however, is what is garnering the most attention.
With 14 seconds remaining in the game, quarterback Dak Prescott took the snap. He scrambled up the middle for 17-yards, but the Cowboys had no timeouts remaining. The offense tried to run up to the line and spike the ball, but they were unsuccessful. The clock read zeroes and the referees said the game was over.
Following that, head coach Mike McCarthy received a lot of heat. His late-game management is something that has been scrutinized in the past and this is another instance in which people will question what he was doing.
A lot of the offense’s lack of success has been blamed on McCarthy. This is odd because whenever things are going well, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore receives all of the praise. Could that lead to a change being made on the coaching staff?
McCarthy has seemingly been on the hot seat ever since he arrived in Dallas. Retaining Moore from the previous regime was a move that was lauded, but ultimately, it could be what costs McCarthy his job.
There is a good chance that he is the scapegoat for the late-game debacle. Knowing that Moore is going to receive some head coach looks this offseason, the Cowboys could elect to just elevate him to the position themselves so that he doesn’t leave the organization. If he departs, it will be interesting to see who McCarthy brings onto the staff to fill his position as offensive coordinator.
Regardless of what occurs, it is clear that Dallas needs to make some changes to the staff. The dynamic of McCarthy receiving all the blame when things don’t go right and Moore receiving all the credit when things are humming makes for a tough work environment.
If the Cowboys want to ensure that they can keep Moore, he very well could be promoted to head coach at McCarthy’s expense. If not, McCarthy could be in the market for a new offensive coordinator with Moore moving on and finding a job as the head man elsewhere.