Jerry Jones wasn’t trying to create drama when offering his honest opinion of a decision Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy made during Monday night’s 20-17 win over the Chargers. That may have not been his intent, but Jones nevertheless created headlines by openly disagreeing with his coach’s decision to play for a field goal before halftime.
With the score 7-7, the Cowboys opted to take a 10-7 halftime lead over the Chargers after Brandon Aubrey kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired. Jones would have preferred to see his team take a more aggressive approach. “First of all, this is not an impassioned response to your question at all,” Jones said on 105. The Fan, via Pro Football Talk. “But I thought we should have tried another pass in the end zone, and used the clock accordingly.”
While the decision ultimately paid off, Jones does have a point. Two plays prior to the field goal, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott hit tight end Jake Ferguson for a 15-yard-gain that turned into 30-yard play following a Chargers penalty. Facing a first-and-10 from the Chargers’ 17-yard line and armed with two timeouts, Prescott opted to throw a safe, 3-yard completion to Tony Pollard with 14 seconds left in the half.
Instead of calling a quick timeout to try to run another play, McCarthy opted to let the clock run down to three seconds before calling time and sending his kicker out to attempt a short field goal. Aubrey made the kick, but McCarthy chose not to use his final timeout while possibly giving his team more of a cushion.
Jones may not have agreed with the decision, but he does not think McCarthy’s conservative approach was a slight against Prescott. Prescott, after being heavily criticized for his play in the previous week’s loss to the 49ers, completed 70% of his passes while not throwing an interception during Sunday’s win in Los Angeles. “Not at all,” Jones said. “Not at all. No, that doesn’t reach that point with me at all.”
