Washington feasts on Cowboys’ play calls

Mike Mccarthy received credit for some unique motivational tactics — smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer to pound home points — before the Dallas Cowboys' upset win over the Minnesota Vikings last week.

Four days later he had a couple of other ideas that didn't turn out so well.

In fact, the Cowboys' firstyear coach deserves much of the blame in a 41-16 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Washington Football Team in an unlikely battle for first place between two 3-7 teams that was much closer than the score indicates.

The score was tied with five minutes left in the first half and the Cowboys facing a fourth and inches from their own 19 when McCarthy decided to gamble. Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad, except that he didn't call for a handoff to Zeke Elliott or a quarterback sneak but a down-and-out passing play that was snuffed out by Washington.

Six plays later, Alex Smith threw to Logan Thomas for a five-yard TD that not only gave Washington its first lead of the game, but also one it would never relinquish.

“It was a clean matchup, obviously had 1-on-1 on the perimeter,” Mccarthy said of the failed gamble. “Obviously the result wasn't what we were looking for. Those are plays, you look to create opportunities. It was a good play call … we just didn't convert.”

The Cowboys were within four points early in the fourth quarter when, on a fourth and 10 just inside their own 25, Mccarthy called for a fake punt. Again the gamble was stopped, and on the next play, Antonio Gibson ran 23 yards for a backbreaking touchdown that put the Football Team up 27-16.

Rookie running back Gibson was the offensive star of the day, carrying the ball 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns, and added five receptions for another 21 yards.