Dallas Cowboys deserve to lose, but this time Mike McCarthy should blast those refs

Mike McCarthy seldom allows his emotions out of the house, but this is one of those regular season games he desperately wanted.

You can understand if the Cowboys head coach threw his head set, or let our a few choice four-letter words. Maybe a few dozen.

Sunday is one they should have had.

Ultimately, both he and the Cowboys gagged on his first game back coaching against the team that fired him, but there are going to be a few plays, or 10, that he will not want to watch ever again.

Or when they do, it will be a submission to the NFL offices to show how their officials blew it.

The Cowboys should have defeated the Packers by at least 10 points, and they had a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter before they let Aaron Rodgers do what Aaron Rodgers does against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Packers won 31-28 in overtime, and the Dallas Cowboys are 6-3.

It was the first time in franchise history the team had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost. They were 195-0 in such games before Sunday.

Awful. Terrible. Pathetic.

The Packers came into the game at 3-6, and looked awful compiling a losing record with their Hall of Fame quarterback. The HOF QB who was so instrumental in getting McCarthy fired by the Packers in 2018.

This is a loss where the Cowboys should blame themselves, but some of these refs deserve a side eye.

The Cowboys’ run defense let the Packers in this game; Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his receivers made a few terrible mistakes in the first half; a few guys you’ve never heard of made plays for the Packers offense.

One thread of the McCarthy era with the Cowboys is their commitment to committing penalties.

On Sunday, they committed nine penalties for 83 yards. The Packers committed six penalties for 40 yards

There are at least two incidents with the refs that left McCarthy furious.

To start the overtime, the Cowboys had the ball and were driving; on a second down play, Cowboys running back Malik Davis ran 16 yards to the Packers’ 26.

At a minimum, the Cowboys were in position for a field goal. Instead, guard Connor McGovern was called for holding on a borderline call.

Two plays later, on third down, Prescott had receiver CeeDee Lamb alone in single coverage. Packers defensive back Jaire Alexander wrapped up Lamb, who had zero chance at catching the pass.

No penalty.

How?

On fourth down, McCarthy elected to go for it; Prescott had no receiver open, and barely tossed away an incomplete pass to avoid a sack.

The Packers scored on the ensuing possession to win the game.

Pass interference calls on defensive backs have become almost as difficult, and as common, as holding penalties on the offensive line.

A referee could throw a flag on nearly every single play because those infractions happen so often. Not calling these penalties is an impossible judgment call.

Also, when it’s that obvious they still have to do it. Do your job, please.

The Cowboys, at a minimum, should have had a first down at around the Packers’ 32-yard line.

Maybe the Cowboys drive ultimately stalls, and they lose the game regardless. The way the game progressed, this was one of those days that they deserved to lose.

Their defense has the runs. As in anyone can run on them.

The Packers ran for 207 yards on Sunday.

The Cowboys’ offense had some embarrassing communication problems between Prescott and tight end Dalton Schultz in the first half that resulted in a 14-point swing in the wrong direction.

Lamb had a major gaffe in the first half when he undercut a route that ended up being a Packers’ interception.

The Cowboys did enough damage to themselves that, ultimately, they have to own this loss as their own.

They also had some help.

The refs blew two calls at a pivotal moment of the game that cost the Cowboys, and led a normally stoic coach so mad he let his emotions out of the house.