COWBOYS HEAD COACH MIKE MCCARTHY
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2022
Q. Can you start with what you saw on the pick six at the end? What was the play call was and how
did it develop?
MIKE McCARTHY: Yeah, that’s always a conversion play and scramble. You know, unlucky bounce for us;
hell of a play by them.
Q. What’s your frustration level given you had a 17-point lead?
MIKE McCARTHY: I mean, hey, we knew coming in here they were playing extremely well. We identified
it all week. I thought the players had a good week of preparation. You know, that’s a talented team. I
think [Jaguars Head Coach] Doug [Pederson] does an excellent job. But I mean, the numbers and the
things that we didn’t do so well, it was a knock-down. You could just feel the game, the way it was going,
particularly when we kicked the two field goals. We just needed to keep getting touchdowns. We had a
number of injuries on defense. I really felt our young guys did a hell of a job stepping in there. We had a
lot of guys going in and out. Yeah, [I’m] disappointed. I mean, as I told them in the locker room, look,
this game and Green Bay, you lose two overtime games. But we have put a tremendous amount of
[work] into game situations in this phase and this situation, and I’m just a huge believer you just got to
keep working, stay after it. They know the investment they made really the last two years. My first year,
that clearly was something that we need to improve on. So I’m disappointed, but in the same breath, we
got a crazy schedule here. Not crazy, we got a different schedule we’re dealing with, so we’ll take a look
at it here on the busses and the planes, and when we touch down, we got to turn the page.
Q. Can you take me through that thought process when you threw deep to WR Noah Brown and
ended up stopping the clock and they ended up having to use a timeout?
MIKE McCARTHY: Well, they had a time out there, so your decision there is offensively [to] play
conservative and run the ball to take the time off, or you try to end the game. It’s a pretty simple
decision. When it converts, it’s a great call. When it doesn’t, you get criticized for it.
Q. How concerned are you with the secondary right now?
MIKE McCARTHY: Well, I wouldn’t say I’m concerned. I’m more concerned with the health of our team.
We have had a rough stretch here the last three games. We have lost a number of starters, but our guys
are jumping in there. The things I pay close attention to is the communication and the interaction, and
[Cowboys Defensive Coordinator] Dan [Quinn] was able to still have enough calls to stay competitive.
We were in a bunch of situational calls in the fourth quarter and so forth, and you don’t have your
young guys in there on that, so that shows where they were in their development.
Let’s be honest, we’ve hit a little bit of an injury cycle here. This is our third game on the road, and
hopefully this is [when] we come out of this and see when we get back. And then obviously we got one
here on Saturday coming up quickly.
Q. You guys won’t be getting any help at corner back. Where do you guys go from here at that outside
corner position?
MIKE McCARTHY: I mean, I’m not really there right now. To be honest with you, my next conversation
will be in the training room, see how we came out of this game.
Q. Was there any overlooking this Jaguars team? You have some big games coming up playing for your
division.
MIKE McCARTHY: Not at all. You know, this is my 29th year in this league. You don’t overlook any game.
When we have conversations about ‘don’t take the cheese’ it’s really for the younger players and just to
stay focused based on the questions they have to answer that will be different than they normally
answer. We spend a lot of time on the film and game planning. Like I said, I thought we had a good week
of practice. [They were an] uncommon opponent; these guys haven’t played against each other before,
so I thought the guys put the time in. It was a hell of a football game, and we came out on the wrong
side.
Q. You said before that even though you’re still chasing the Philadelphia Eagles in the division that
you controlled your own destiny in a lot of ways because you knew what was ahead of you. Does this
loss take that out of your hands now?
MIKE McCARTHY: I’m not wired that way, because I expect to win every day. That’s the way I was as a
kid, too, so I’m just on to the next one. I’ve been at this long enough to know that at the end the 17
games, it sorts itself out. I’ve been the one seed and [been] knocked on my ass and won it from the fifth
seed. So, you know, like I said, we’re not supposed talk about that until we get to 11 wins and we’re not
there yet. We just got to keep our head down and keep working, and we’ll react properly to this. It’s a
very accountable locker room. I love this bunch. I mean, they do it the right way. We’ll just stay after it,
and we’ll definitely come out of this.
Q. The run defense took a step back today. Is that just the injuries showing up, or do you think that is
something else?
MIKE McCARTHY: I just think obviously some contain challenges, so that will obviously be a focus, and
obviously we have to be on top of this as we get ready for the next one. Yeah, the run defense wasn’t
what it needed to be today.
Q. Can you talk about QB Dak Prescott and the multiple interceptions he threw today?
MIKE McCARTHY: Yeah, you know, I think the thing is, you have in-the-pocket and you have out-of-the-
pocket quarterback play. You know, it goes this way sometimes. I mean, I don’t know if he could have
played much better in the first half. Actually, you take away two throws, and they all count, so I’m not
that kind of guy that doesn’t count them all, but I thought he played at a really high level today. But the
two interceptions definitely factored in the points for Jacksonville. We’ll just keep working and keep
plugging. I’m not going to sit here and just keep diving into it. I get the reason for the question, all that,
but he’s trying to do it the right way that’s for sure.
COWBOYS QUARTERBACK DAK PRESCOTT
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2022
Q. You started with the interception in overtime. What happened there, and then also the one late in
the second half?
DAK PRESCOTT: Yeah, late in the second half (I) was trying to throw it to Dalton [Schultz] and kind of got
grabbed from the back at the same time as I was throwing the ball; just came out of my hand, actually
high. Yeah, unfortunate. Then in overtime, crossing route was throwing it low on purpose and I just
wasn’t able to make the play and the connection between us two [Noah Brown], and obviously tips up
and the guy [Rayshawn Jenkins] makes a great catch right there above the ground and ends the game.
Q. You were almost perfect in the first half. How do you explain the offense between the first half and
the second half with the lull in the third quarter?
DAK PRESCOTT: Yeah, I mean, that’s a tough spot, especially when the third quarter this season has
been where we’ve come out, we’ve come out hot after making adjustments, and so for tonight for that
to be our lull and obviously have the turnover and have some stall-outs, some three-and-outs and don’t
get it going, it’s tough, but it’s hard for me to give you that answer right now. Haven’t watched the film.
Got to go back and do that and go from there.
Q. You talked all week about eliminating the interceptions and how frustrated you were by them.
How much do you feel now about the consequences of them?
DAK PRESCOTT: Yeah, frustration grows, obviously. To end the game on a pick six, yeah, it’s tough. It’s
tough. It’s frustrating. Not only that, as I said, the first one, yeah, I’ve just got to not even try to throw
the ball right there, feeling the guy grab me and just tuck the ball and take the sack and just move on,
move on to the next play. That’s that balance. Obviously, I’ll learn from it and tuck it next time. It’s
tough. It’s tough treading that line, trying to make a play, trying to be aggressive, and at the same time
not putting the ball at risk.
Q. At the end of regulation you had that 3rd down, just your thought process on what you saw there
on that completion down the sideline?
DAK PRESCOTT: Yeah, it was a one-on-one. Obviously, we had a crossing route with CeeDee [Lamb].
They put two to three guys on him, and 31 [Darious Williams] was pretty much just off the whole time
and I just tried to throw it deep and give Noah [Brown] a chance.
Q. Does this change at all the feelings going into Philadelphia week or how does it alter it?
DAK PRESCOTT: Honestly, it doesn’t. Obviously, it sucks losing, to start there, but if we would have won
right there on the field goal, I don’t think that necessarily changes the lull in the third quarter, the bad
things that happened in this game. But yeah, so we’ve got to move on, just like any other week. It’s not
like — I mean, I don’t know what happened with Philly. Guessing they won. Yeah, so it doesn’t — it’s not
like that puts us in a better position or not. So, it’s about at this point building, trying to get better, trying
to clean up our mistakes, learn from our mistakes and make sure that we’re just carrying momentum
heading into week after week as we move forward to get into this postseason.
Q. The first interception they got a touchdown out of and the second one they scored on. Do you put
this on you in terms of this game? How do you internalize it?
DAK PRESCOTT: Yeah, I take every loss on the chin. I think that’s my job as a quarterback, to put us in
positions to win, and eliminate the mistakes and the potential chances to allow them to score after
turnovers. That’s what’s frustrating about it, whether it’s a tipped ball, whether it’s an unfortunate
interception, whatever it is. They all suck, and at the end of the day, I’ve got to do a better job, and
that’s where it is. When I say I take them on the chin, that’s why I’m also trying to make those plays, to
make those plays to put us in a better field position and give us a better chance to win. Yeah, it’s tough.
It’s tough when you lose, second overtime game this year, and wanting to be in those positions, wanting
to be in those positions having the ball in my hand, and when it ends up like that, yeah, it sucks. It’s a
feeling that I don’t like, and I’ve got to learn from it and do better, put the ball in better positions, and
be smarter with it.
