Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Says he ‘Regrets’ Not Playing Trey Lance in MNF

The Dallas Cowboys have now dropped to 3-7 on the season, and their postseason hopes are all but crushed. After losing Dak Prescott for the season, the team has seemingly not been able to find any sort of rhythm on offense.

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The Cowboys have started Cooper Rush in the last two weeks, but Rush has not been successful in leading the offense to scores. During Week 10’s beatdown by the Philadelphia Eagles, Rush was benched for Trey Lance, who also struggled to find consistency in the passing game.

Despite the struggles, Lance was still given a chance to help the Cowboys rebound after being handily beaten by the Eagles. In Week 11, the same happened with the Houston Texans. Initially, the Cowboys kept pace with the Texans through the first three quarters, but the fourth saw any chance of coming back fading away.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy spoke to reporters about the loss, stating he “regrets” not giving Lance another shot at playing during Monday Night Football.

“I think the one thing I should have done at the end, and I just didn’t do, was put Trey in there. I could’ve gotten him a series. That’s one thing that I would second-guess myself on,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t want to get into putting him in for a play or two, because he’s more than a gadget player in my opinion. We had him prepared to take a series, and frankly there at the end I should’ve gave him that series, and I regret not doing that.”

The Cowboys headed into the fourth quarter against the Texans with a 20-10 score. Instead of being able to hold Houston to another field goal, they rifled off two more scores, ending the game with a 34-10 final score.

McCarthy stated that he should have given Lance at least one series, which is true. Rush threw for 354 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Though he posted significant numbers, he should have been benched to allow Lance to get in some valuable reps.

For all McCarthy knows, Lance could have sparked a fourth-quarter comeback. That was not the case in Week 10 against the Eagles, but Lance could also be used to throw off opposing defenses by coming in for Rush at any given time.

The Cowboys are in a very tough spot, and one more loss will likely guarantee the team does not make the postseason. As it stands right now, they might also be in danger of securing the No. 1 draft pick if they cannot find a way to win games.

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