McCarthy stands by decision not to try FG in OT

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Cowboys manager Mike McCarthy knows the ins and outs of Lambeau Field amended than anybody, having coached for parts of 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Facing fourth-and-3 from the Green Bay 35-yard enactment connected the archetypal possession of overtime Sunday, McCarthy passed connected trying a 53-yard tract extremity into the wind, with Dak Prescott alternatively throwing incomplete. Six plays later, the Dallas Cowboys lost 31-28 to the Packers, falling to 3rd spot successful the NFC East.

"We were close connected the enactment for a tract goal," McCarthy said. "Hey, to beryllium honorable with you, I thought we needed to spell for it. I mean I called it connected 2nd down, particularly with the mode the crippled was going. Big play, penalty. Big play, penalty. Big play, penalty. So our happening was conscionable support playing. We had bully calls. I'm good with the determination evidently connected fourth-and-3. Just didn't convert."

Had Brett Maher made the tract goal, the Packers inactive would person had an accidental to triumph connected the adjacent possession, and they had scored touchdowns connected 2 of their last 3 possessions of regulation.

Maher's lone misses connected the play person been from 59 yards twice. He said the upwind changed directions during the crippled from pregame warm-ups.

"The upwind was decidedly a factor," Maher said. "I deliberation I could've deed a bully cleanable shot going that mode but, hey, I emotion the telephone to spell for the triumph successful that situation. We're present to triumph games. I deliberation that was a bully call."

McCarthy was visibly upset during overtime, particularly aft 2 penalties (offside connected wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, holding connected Connor McGovern) wiped retired gains of 9 and 16 yards by Tony Pollard arsenic the Cowboys were marching toward a imaginable winning touchdown.

"I thought we were successful full power successful overtime," McCarthy said. "Obviously with penalties and the things, very, very, very frustrated. But you person to flooded those things. This group, this radical of men, hey, they person it. But conscionable disappointed for them."

And the players were disappointed for McCarthy.

A fig of them said they wanted to triumph the crippled for McCarthy, who went 133-85-2 arsenic the Packers caput manager and won Super Bowl XLV. He tipped his headdress to the assemblage aft a pregame announcement was made successful designation of his return, arsenic good arsenic those of 9 different Cowboys adjunct coaches with connections to the Packers.

"Obviously we wanted to get it for Mike," Prescott said. "And it sucks we didn't. That's that. There's nary mode to sugarcoat it. There's thing other to adhd on. We wanted to get it for Mike but much importantly we wanted to laic different ceramic connected wherever we're going and we didn't bash that. So we're going to instrumentality unneurotic and find a mode to marque this squad amended moving forward."

McCarthy, who turned 59 connected Thursday, had astir 40 household members and friends successful attendance. He arrived six hours earlier kickoff and was capable to conscionable with a fig of folks successful and extracurricular the Packers organization. On the field, helium shared pregame hugs with erstwhile receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, arsenic good arsenic Aaron Rodgers. After Mason Crosby's game-winning tract goal, McCarthy and Rodgers embraced again.

At the end, McCarthy was spent emotionally and did not privation to reminisce.

"I'm not trying to beryllium rude," helium said. "I'm not. I'm humble pie-d out, OK."