Cowboys’ decision not to challenge leads to 4th down nightmare vs. Eagles
We knew the Dallas Cowboys had a formidable foe in the Philadelphia Eagles tonight, but we didn’t think it would be this rough. The offense has yet to find a rhythm and the defense is likely exhausted given how much they’ve had to be on the field.
After being down 14-0 to start the second quarter, the pressure was on the Cowboys’ offense to make something happen. On 3rd and 9 at Dallas’ 26-yard line, Cooper Rush threw a pass to CeeDee Lamb who fought hard to get the distance he needed to finally give Dallas a first down.
From the television screen, it certainly looked like the WR1 extended his arm far enough to get the first down. The referees chose to spot the ball just short of the line to gain, though. However, instead of challenging the spot, America’s Team quickly lined up to go for 4th and inches from their 34-yard line.
NBC broadcasters Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth even mentioned that the Cowboys should have challenged the spot, but Mike McCarthy chose not to. We can’t wait to see what excuse the head coach comes up with when he’s inevitably asked why he didn’t throw his red flag after this game.
Why not challenge the spot on the third-down pass to CeeDee Lamb? On fourth down, Lamb got caught in the wash on the bootleg.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 17, 2022
Mike McCarthy declined to challenge an obvious first down spot, which led to a horrific attempt at 4th and inches for the Cowboys
What happened after the decision not to challenge was nothing short of embarrassing.
In an attempt to get inches, Rush dropped back and ran a bootleg to try and find someone open to absolutely no avail.
This gave a team who was already up by 14 the ball at the Dallas 34-yard line. It also marked yet another time when the Cowboys were unable to move the ball simply enough for a first down on offense.
Fourth-and-1, and Eagles defense all over the fake and look for Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb in right flat. This is becoming embarrassing. Eagles ball at Cowboys' 34. Previous Eagles drive started at Cowboys' 44 after an INT. Dallas has one first down tonight. Eagles have 10.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 17, 2022
Twitter blew up with frustration and even FOX Sports’ Emmanuel Acho was puzzled by the Cowboys’ decision. He thinks that play will be questioned and ridiculed all week.
This embarrassing and frustrating series of events led to a Jake Elliott 51-yard field goal and put the Cowboys down by 17 points with just over seven minutes to go in the second.
If the offense doesn’t find some momentum and the coaching staff doesn’t make adjustments and make better calls, this could be a long, long night.
