"What the f**k was that" - Cowboys fans want Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy fired for bizarre final play

Published Jan 23, 2023 04:01 GMT

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys v San Francisco 49ers — NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers

The Dallas Cowboys were eliminated in strange fashion to the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Divisional Round in a 19-12 loss. For the second straight year, Mike McCarthy made a bizarre call in the final play of the game, which resulted in the clock running out far from the end zone.

With just six seconds on the clock, McCarthy called for a different play with only Ezekiel Elliott acting as a pass protector to Dak Prescott. The idea was to spread the linemen to create blockers for whoever received the pass, but the execution was awful.

Cowboys fans were absolutely disappointed that McCarthy called a gimmick play instead of trying something more useful, such as one of the classic plays involving a ton of lateral passes following the first completion.

Dak Prescott's awful game, with two interceptions and just 206 yards, also received criticism from fans. Fans now want both the coach and the quarterback out of the franchise.

Firing McCarthy was a real possibility even if the team made the playoffs, but there's no way Dallas is getting rid of Dak. They're cash-strapped for the next season, much because of his contract, including more than $49 million in cap hit for the 2023 season.

If the Cowboys decide to let go of Prescott, they'd incur a cap penalty of $89 million. So, this is just not going to happen any time soon.

After beating Cowboys, 49ers will play Eagles in NFC Championship Game

The 49ers now have a full week to prepare for the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the New York Giants 38-7 on Saturday to qualify for the conference championship.

If they beat the Eagles, the Super Bowl will be against either Kansas City Chiefs or Cincinnati Bengals, as they'll play the AFC Championship Game right after the NFC.

This is San Francisco's second straight appearance in the NFC Championship Game and the third time in four years. Last season, they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 20-17. In 2019, they beat the Green Bay Packers 37-20 before losing to the same Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

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