Let’s get into this Mike McCarthy-Cowboys, late-game decision-making thing.
I’m not talking about the final play of the game. Running a quarterback draw with the Niners in sideline defense makes some sense. The specific circumstances were unlucky more than anything else -- Prescott not getting down in time; the umpire tripping over a Cowboys lineman.
It’s the fake punt situation that rankles.
Ah, the fake punt.
The original decision: Excellent.
And I am here to defend the follow-up sequence, too. Jumping from a fake punt into a no-huddle offense is a savvy move. In the abstract, it’s designed to create chaos. Either someone on the defense jumps offside, you catch the defense subbing players in and out of the game, or the defense is so discombobulated that you’re able to run the most basic play for some kind of gain.