Could Mike McCarthy’s win guarantee bite Cowboys vs WFT?
After missing the last 10 days due to COVID-19, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy returned to the team in bold fashion on Thursday morning. When asked about the Week 14 matchup against the Washington Football Team, McCarthy told reporters that the Cowboys are “going to win this game” and he is “confident in that.” Well, welcome back to you too, Mike!
When asked if this was a bulletin board statement, McCarthy told reporters:
"“I mean, what am I supposed to say? Yeah, I fully expect to win every game I’ve ever competed in. That’s what sports is all about. That’s what the NFL [is all about]. Trust me, I understand how hard it is. They’re working hard. We’re working hard. But, yeah, we’re clearly planning on going to Washington and winning the game. There’s no doubt about that.”"
McCarthy made this daring claim as the Cowboys head into, arguably, their biggest game of the season. The WFT is on a four-game winning streak and the Cowboys have been struggling to win games against mediocre teams.
Mike McCarthy doesn't promote bulletin board material, but he returned to the Star today confident Cowboys will beat WFT.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 9, 2021
"We're going to win," he told us. "We’re clearly planning on going to Washington to win the game. There’s no doubt about that."https://t.co/2fDw53GsLH
Making guarantees in the NFL is always a risky game. It’s probably not the best idea to give more fuel to a team that is already coming in with a ton of momentum and would love to prove doubters wrong at their home field. The WFT would also like nothing more than to beat an NFC East rival and inch closer to securing a Wild Card spot.
Quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t seem bothered by his head coach’s hot take, though. He had this to say when reporters asked him his thoughts:
"“It doesn’t put us in a bad spot. … I don’t think he said anything different than everyone in this building’s thoughts. Now we got to make sure we’re accountable for our words. I think all that is is a coach setting the tone for the week.”"
While Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera has yet to give a response, it’s no surprise that WFT players were asked about “the guarantee” after their practice, as well. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen told Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post that “the only guarantee in this world is death and taxes.” Well played, Allen.
While we’d love to sit here and believe that this game should be a no-brainer against Washington, a lot of alarming news has come out today in relation to the Cowboys’ injury report.
New Cowboys injury updates about Parsons and Pollard could hurt McCarthy’s guarantee
Thursday morning started with the upsetting news that running back Tony Pollard is dealing with a foot injury that he sustained during his 58-yard touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints. Although reporters say he should be fine and that he is expected to play on Sunday, this is not good news for an already struggling run game.
Then, just a couple of hours later, Cowboys fans got hit with some more injury concerns. The new reports were about stand-out rookie linebacker Micah Parsons. The linebacker apparently was a “limited participant” in practice.
Exhale: Cowboys LB Micah Parsons (hip) was added to the injury report today as limited participant, but sources expressed no concern. “He’s just sore,” one said. Another source: “He should be fine.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 9, 2021
Not ideal for the Cowboys and not ideal for Parsons. Especially given that this rookie is on track to break a variety of defensive records in the NFL this season. Yet again, like with Pollard, voices within the organization tried to assure us that Parsons, too, will “be fine.” But who knows?
What we do know is that these two key injuries could have a negative effect on McCarthy’s hot prediction. Hopefully, these injuries are as minor as they seem and McCarthy will end up correct about his guarantee. Only time will tell!
