Mike McCarthy addresses kicking issues vs Arizona Cardinals

With the NFL playoffs beginning in just two weeks, there are still plenty of problems the Dallas Cowboys need to sort out — mainly on the offensive side. Quarterback Dak Prescott has been adamant that he is not in the middle of a slump but the performance on the field says otherwise.

Criticizing solely Prescott and the offense would be fair. Throughout different points of the season, they have flashed success and been one of the best in the league.

One place that has consistently struggled for the Cowboys this season is the kicking game with Greg Zuerlein. He missed another crucial field goal attempt on Sunday against Arizona. Dallas ended up losing by three as well.

Head coach Mike McCarthy commented on the missed kick during his post-game press conference but did not want to single out Zuerlein.

“We all have things we can do better,” McCarthy said.

Zuerlein has been a problem throughout the season, missing six field-goal attempts and five extra points. In games where he makes all of his kicks, the Cowboys are 7-0.

Dallas already has a playoff spot under wraps and will just be fighting for seeding in Week 18 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Everybody on the team will be looking to improve, trying to hit strides just before the playoffs begin.

Dallas Cowboys clock managments costs game against Arizona

Had the Dallas Cowboys had better clock management Sunday against Arizona, they just might have pulled off a comeback win. The Cardinals appeared to fumble the ball just before the two-minute warning, but the officials ruled that Chase Edmunds was down.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy could have challenged the play, but he was out of timeouts. Per NFL rules, you must have at least one timeout to challenge a play. Because the play also occurred prior to the two-minute warning, it was not automatically reviewed.

That's for sure a Chase Edmunds fumble. Tough one for the Cowboys pic.twitter.com/6wjHZ5zplM

— Roto Street Journal (RSJ) (@RotoStJournal) January 3, 2022

Dallas trailed the entirety of the game, but made a valiant comeback effort late. The Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, completing a two-point conversion on the last one to pull within three points.

Had McCarthy not used up all of the team’s timeouts, Dallas could have gotten the ball back with a chance to tie or win. Instead, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray kneeled three straight times to run out the clock and secure a 25-22 victory.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report