4 Cowboys to blame for embarrassing loss to 49ers in Week 5

1. Mike McCarthy

The McCarthy discourse is just getting started, folks. National analysts will be on their soapbox Monday morning proclaiming McCarthy is on the hot seat. While that might be an overreaction, McCarthy defenders have no legs to stand on after Week 5.

It was a coaching and play-calling disaster-class. Despite repeated failed efforts to pick up positive yardage, McCarthy insisted on running on first and long.

He also called a 3rd and 4 run that amounted to a give-up play as the Cowboys settled for a field goal to make a two-score game ... a two-score game. It had the fanbase livid and he had a worse gaffe later when he called a pass short of the sticks on 3rd and 5 with Dallas trailing big.

49ers linebacker duo Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw love getting downhill and flying sideline-to-sideline tracking ball-carriers and pass-catchers, and yet McCarthy insisted on calling underneath throws. Nothing in the second or third levels of the defense. And the rare Dallas deep shots were alarmingly hopeless.

The Cowboys are still 3-2 and control their own destiny. They'll win plenty of more games this campaign, but McCarthy has nowhere left to hide after this performance. The red zone concerns are one thing, but Dallas' offense lacks creativity and explosiveness regardless of field position.

That's criminal given how much talent is on that side of the ball.

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