Everything Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after beating the New York Giants

Everything that Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after his team beat the New York Giants, 20-15, at MetLife Stadium on Thursday. Quotes courtesy of the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys media relations staffs.

Q: Can you talk about the resiliency of your defense? You didn’t really get any stops in the first half, and you lost (defensive end) Micah (Parsons) and you lost (defensive end) DeMarcus Lawrence. There was a time when, even (cornerback Trevon) Diggs was off the field, you were able to get those stops in the fourth quarter.

A: Definitely. Also, the time of possession was definitely in their (the Giants’) favor. So, I thought those guys really stepped up and played a lot of guys on defense. Rotated them through. You need wins like this. Division wins on the road. We overcame a lot today, so, it’s a good one to get.

Q: Short week coming off the game you came off at home. (Is it) satisfying just to get a win in any kind of manner?A: Absolutely. I mean winning is always a great thing, especially on the road. Road wins are the best. Division games, you’re going to add another layer to it. So, yeah, we feel great about what we accomplished tonight but I think for the fourth week in a row, we realized that we have a lot of work to do.

Q: Do you have any update yet on Micah (Parsons)?A: I do not and I haven’t made it to the training room yet.

Q: What was the difference tonight with (quarterback) Dak (Prescott) and (wide receiver) CeeDee (Lamb) to get them going tonight?A: I just think really, as a whole, the whole team – that was really the first four-quarter game we’ve played. It was a complementary football game. I wish we would’ve been able to drive the ball more offensively. I just felt like we left out defense out there a bit much. We had that long swing right before the half, and then they came right back here in the first drive in the third quarter. So, I thought that was very challenging for our defense for them to continue to fight but I think the biggest was that we were able to [INAUDIBLE] for four quarters.

Q: Can you speak to the penalties, especially for (tackle Tyler) Guyton here today?A: Number one, there’s too many. And also – just like anything – to be able to overcome them, I give some credit to the offensive group. Was it 15-5? So, completely out of balance. We had 15 calls, I think 11 were for 90 yards, somewhere in there. Like I’ve already stated, we have a lot of work to do.

Q: What was behind the decision to go with (Amani) Oruwariye as your nickel guy or your third corner, or even base guy, in the second half?A: We really didn’t have a lot of work this week, obviously, just on the short week. But these guys are competing all the time. It was really a close decision on the number front. We actually had three guys that we talked about, playing in that spot. So, all credit to our group. When you have tough decision like that to make, it means you’ve got a lot of guys working hard and they’re ready for that opportunity. So, I thought he did a nice job.

Q: Can you talk about starting fast? Tonight, you really started fast – especially in that first half. How big was that for your guys?A: That’s the way we want to play. I think it’s just like anything – you only have so much time during the week. We put time and invest in fast starts and finishing strong. We had a four-minute offensive series here. So, if we’d made that field goal there, we would’ve topped the game off the way you’d like to. So, it’s just another credit to the defense. They went back out there and got that stop.

Q: On the last field goal, did you think about calling a timeout and not rushing (kicker Brandon) Aubrey on the field?A: No. That was the plan. They did the rhythm of it. They wanted to stay in rhythm. So, it was by design

.Q: Can you talk about your use of (fullback Hunter) Luepke tonight and what he did tonight?A: I just think it’s a young player that’s earned more responsibility. He’s been doing more of a one-back, just particularly for protection and things like that. So, I think we just got to continue using these backs to keep trying to create opportunities for him. So, wish we had the ball a little bit longer. But Hunter is doing a heck of a job.

Q: After a tough bang-up game like tonight, how important is the extra time you have to get back onto the field?A: Very important. I think that’s part of a Thursday night advantage. You don’t feel great about it during the week, but you definitely feel great about it after you win on the road. So, this times up good for us. So, we’ll get back in there Monday and have a long week getting ready for Pittsburgh (Steelers).

Q: Early in the third quarter, Cee Dee Lamb is already up to six catches and six targets – I think 94-ish (yards) from scrimmage with a touchdown. Was there a concerted effort to get him involved early? Or was that organic, taking what the defense gave him?A: I think it’s organic. Just whatever we gameplan, especially when he’s always at the forefront of our thinking. Just thought Dak did a really good job taking what they gave him. They played a lot more two-high (safeties), keep the lid on it, and I thought Dak was really patient tonight.

Q: You were talking about Dak’s game. I think he started out 11 or 12. The first one was a throwaway pass. How do you think he’s seeing it?A: Just really spinning off what I said. I just thought he was really patient, just getting through his reads. And just had an opportunity, had to step up and make some plays in the pocket with his feet. I thought Dak played very well today.

Q: All the stuff that was said this week and professionalism and you were talking about practices: What was your message to the team tonight after a win like this? A: I think we do a really good job internally focusing on what we’re doing every day. I think sometimes our guys give honest answers to the questions from the externals and sometimes there’s things that are said that really don’t reflect the way it is internally. These guys didn’t blink. They came in here Monday, and I thought they were very accountable. I think this is as healthy a locker room, leadership group that we’ve had in my time here. And I think everything that needed to be said was said. As I told you all on Monday, I know what came out of that. The narratives outside of the locker room (INAUDIBLE) I really like the way our locker room has handled this week. Obviously, we didn’t feel good on Sunday. We did what we needed to do prep-wise and came here and got this win.

Q: CeeDee’s long touchdown there – I think he ran like right by you on that. What did you see? What impressed you most about that play?A: Number one – just he beat the coverage. But number two, just when he gets the ball in his hands, his ability to (INAUDIBLE) something else to get the touches in the run game. So, just another good play.

Q: Do you have time to think about going back to Pittsburgh?A: No, not right now.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 8:49 AM.