Credit Mike McCarthy for rise of Dallas Cowboys offense, QB Dak Prescott’s MVP run

No quarterback in the NFL is playing better than Dak Prescott over the past six weeks.

Prescott has a passer rating of 122.6 with 1,874 yards, 18 touchdowns and two interceptions to lead the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) to five wins during that span.

He is ranked by Pro Football Focus as the highest-graded quarterback in the NFL and put himself firmly in the running for league MVP honors.

And as much Prescott gets over analyzed and over scrutinized when he doesn’t play well, he is likewise getting his flowers nationally for his career-best hot streak.

The same can’t be said about coach Mike McCarthy, who is the true mastermind behind the Cowboys offense as the play caller and offensive coordinator.

McCarthy got a lot of blame for the early-season struggles on offense when the Cowboys had the league’s 17th-ranked offense and 20th-ranked passing attack through the first five weeks.

Despite a 3-2 mark, the Cowboys were decidedly led by the defense as the offense went through the growing pains of a new system and an unsettled offense line.

It was perceived as an issue with McCarthy’s archaic offensive philosophy and an example of the modern game passing him by, largely based on his rhetoric during the offense of not worrying about having a highly-ranked offense and being more focused on running the damn ball to protect his defense.

Prescott points to the changes he made following the 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers when he completed 14 of 24 passes for 153 yards with 1 touchdown and thre interceptions.

He started using his feet more.

It’s also when McCarthy cut Prescott loose and released the reigns on the offense.

And as much has Prescott is in a zone, the same is true for McCarthy, whose offense rose to sixth in yards, sixth in passing and second in points while leading the league with 29 10-play drives before last Thursday’s 45-10 Thanksgiving Day feast of the Washington Commanders.

The Cowboys rolled up 431 yards. Prescott passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns. Everything McCarthy called worked like he was taking food off the kids table.

Prescott completed passes to 10 different receivers and running back Tony Pollard had a season-high 79 yards on 13 carries.

McCarthy is an a much a zone as Prescott is.

He credits the improved play to offense line finally getting some stability as well the offense finally getting comfortable with the new concepts that put in the spring.

McCarthy said they are rolling through their menus on offense now.

“Our defense was further ahead of the offense coming out of camp,” McCarthy said. “And I was honest about that. We’ve played that way...I think we looked like a first year offense a little bit the first four weeks. But we played the way we needed to play to win and won some games decisively too. We played to our defense, and it served us well. We want to complement each other. When they give us an opportunity, we need to go put it in the end zone. I think the complimentary football is coming together and you’re going to need it. If you want to be a good team in this league, in my opinion, you have to have it. If you want to win a championship, that’s the only way you can get there.”

The Cowboys certainly are putting the ball into the end zone now.

After struggling in the red zone early in the season, the Cowboys have now scored touchdowns on 18 of their last 26 trips inside the 20.

Credit Prescott’s MVP-level play and the receiving explosion of CeeDee Lamb, who has 78 catches for 1,066 yards and six touchdown.

But also credit McCarthy for getting more creative with pre-snap motions to scheme Lamb and the other receivers open.

After using pre-snap motion on just 39 percent of the palys against the 49ers, the Cowboys have averaged over 60 percent using of pre-snap motion since, including a season-high 76 percent against Washington.

Prescott points to the work the team put in in the spring when got a better understanding of the concepts and purpose when they changed of philosophies from the fired-offensive coordinator Kellen Moore more of McCarthy’s West Coast principles.

Prescott said McCarthy is in a zone with his play calling right now and he’s flying them off the call sheet.

“It’s about us being on the same page,” Prescott said. “You know, we have those meetings once every week that we talk about the game plan and how we want to attack these guys ,what plays I feel most comfortable with, outlining the starters, situational third downs, red zones. Yeah, I mean he’s definitely on fire. He’s firing them off the call sheet whether it be run, play action, whatever it is.

“But at the end of the day, it goes into the preparation throughout the week to clear communication as I’ve talked about going back to the spring and play calling purpose and me understanding when he calls the plays what he’s expecting from not only me, but the other 10 guys on the field and understanding how we have to execute that and when we have that ideal preferable look how great that play can be.”

The plays have been great. He agrees that he’s on Prescott are on the same page, similar to he and Aaron Rodgers during his MVP seasons in Green Bay.

McCarthy is finding his groove and happy to be back in his element after giving up control of the offense his first three seasons in Dallas.

“I think very comfortable,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s just like anything. I’ve done it for a long time, he’s played quarterback for a long time. This is the first time that we’ve done it together. Our Thursday night meeting is a big meeting. And if you can see it two nights ago compared to Weeks 1 and 2, I think that would speak volumes about where we are now. I’ve made the mistake of getting too far away from the quarterback room in my past and I won’t let that happen again.

Because it’s critical to be in that room with all those guys as much as possible. When you sit there and talk about how you’re going to start the game you go through, we call PCP, play caller’s purpose. You need to be finishing each other’s sentences. I feel like we’re there. I think that’s all a part of that rhythm. My job is to tee it up for him. He has the big job, the real job, and that’s the plan.”

What’s also true is that Prescott wouldn’t be doing the big job nearly as well without the job McCarthy as play caller.

He’s on a hot streak too.