3 Studs (and 2 Duds) From Cowboys' Week 9 Loss to Eagles

Dud: Mike McCarthy, Head Coach

Mike McCarthy has had some issues with game management in his career, and he made a blunder on the first defensive series of the game. The Cowboys head coach failed to challenge a spot on the opening drive when Jalen Hurts was stopped short on third down. The Eagles elected to go for it on fourth down and promptly converted thanks to their patented QB sneak play.

The replay showed, however, that Hurts was actually two yards shy of the sticks rather than one. Perhaps that extra yard would have changed Nick Sirianni's mind and he might have punted away. Instead, McCarthy kept the challenge flag in his pocket and that led to a 7-0 deficit with Philly scoring on a Kenneth Gainwell touchdown.

McCarthy also needs to take some heat for his opening series play-calling. Despite facing the best run defense in the NFL, Dallas came out and ran the ball twice up the middle. Tony Pollard gained just 1 yard on the first attempt then 3 on the second. They were unsuccessful on third down, giving Philly the ball right away before allowing them to march down the field and score.

The Cowboys head coach had another issue late in the game when he allowed far too much time to come off the clock after the two-minute warning. McCarthy played as if his team was going to score and win, but when they came up short, there was hardly any time left at all. That led to them being rushed at the end and played a major part in the outcome.