Surprise Mike McCarthy Update Could Seriously Hurt Cowboys in Week 14

The Dallas Cowboys will be back at practice on Wednesday as they prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14. This game has a ton at stake for both teams, which makes this each side's biggest matchup of the year so far.

However, it turns out the Cowboys may have to gear up for this contest without their head coach.

The team announced on Wednesday that McCarthy felt abdominal pain in the morning that required further testing. It was revealed the HC has acute appendicitis, which will require surgery in the afternoon.

This certainly throws Dallas' Week 14 preparation for a loop. While McCarthy is expected to be released from the hospital later on Wednesday, there's no telling how he'll be feeling in the immediate aftermath of surgery. At the very least, this puts a cloud over his availability for Sunday's game.

Hopefully McCarthy turns out to be just fine with a couple days rest. But in the meantime, his squad will now be preparing without its coach, which is far from ideal considering the game ahead.

McCarthy's run as play-caller in 2023 has turned up great results for this electric Cowboys offense, so his absence would be even more significant on Sunday if he's not able to be on the sidelines.

Thankfully current defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has previous head-coaching experience, which should allow him to at least keep things in order while Dallas awaits McCarthy's return. However, the defensive-focused Quinn or anyone else will face a tall task filling McCarthy's shoes as an offensive play-caller if the latter misses the Eagles showdown.

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