3 Cowboys most to blame for another playoff disappointment vs 49ers

2. Mike McCarthy came up small for the Cowboys again

Many Cowboys fans were surprised that Mike McCarthy got a second year in Dallas after the critical mental errors he committed in last year’s playoff loss to the 49ers. The matchups on paper may favor the 49ers but McCarthy certainly hasn’t helped the situation by being out-coached by Kyle Shanahan in both of the defeats.

The game plan that McCarthy came up with clearly wasn’t good enough for Dallas, which converted just 5-of-15 third down attempts on the day. The loss of Tony Pollard to an injury effectively ended Dallas’ running game since McCarthy couldn’t make an adjustment to draw up better play calls to create space for Ezekiel Elliott against San Francisco’s front.

The fact that the Cowboys committed seven penalties also didn’t help as they handed the 49ers 50 free yards, a lack of discipline that can be directly attributed to coaching. McCarthy also made the baffling decision to punt the football away to the 49ers instead of attempting to convert a 4th-and-5 from the San Francisco 40, instead opting for a delay of game penalty to set up a punt.

The 49ers ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive and took the lead for good, again putting Dallas in a spot where they had to essentially abandon the run and force Dak Prescott to win the game with his arm. When you add in the poor clock management down the stretch and the bizarre final formation which led to a nothing-burger play, McCarthy should take plenty of heat for the Cowboys’ loss.