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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Andy Nesbitt

Mike McCarthy had the worst possible return to Lambeau Field

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning WinSubscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

Mike McCarthy had a great chance to right some wrongs Sunday and get revenge against his former employer at its legendary stadium that he called home for many years.

Instead, McCarthy failed miserably and likely left Green Bay last night with a huge pit in his stomach.

McCarthy and the Cowboys had a disastrous trip to Lambeau Field yesterday. Just a terrible, terrible trip. They faced a mess of a Packers team that had lost five straight games coming into it and didn’t look good in most of those games.

The Cowboys should have won by a lot and kept pace with the other good teams in the NFC.

The Cowboys should have made a statement with a blowout win over a legendary QB and his struggling squad.

The Cowboys should have given everything they had to help their coach beat the franchise that fired him with four games left in the 2018 season.

Instead, the Cowboys coughed up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost to the Packers in overtime, 31-28.

It was bad for Dallas and it was even worse, personally, for McCarthy. He was so close to getting a win that would have meant the world to him but then it all came crumbling down in horrific fashion and in front of a national television audience.

Nightmare fuel.

And you know what? McCarthy, who was seen slamming his headset in disgust in OT, really only has himself to blame for this. That’s what happens when you’re the coach of a team – everything starts and stops with you. That’s especially true when you decide to go for it on 4th down in OT from the Packers 35 yard line, just like McCarthy decided to do, and you fail to pick up the first down, just like Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense did.

Cowboys fans are likely moaning about the refs, and rightfully so – there were some bad no-calls that could have been calls. But you just can’t give up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to a team that had lost five straight games.

Can’t happen.

Can.

Not.

Happen.

But it did happen and now the Cowboys are 6-3 and their fans are going to continue to bring up Sean Payton’s name because a great deal of them would love to see the former Saints coach take over their team.

For now, though, McCarthy is still in charge and likely will be the rest of this season. The quicker the Cowboys can put Sunday behind them the better, though I have to believe it’s a loss that McCarthy will never forget.

Quick hits: NFL Week 10 Awards… Rams fans mad about Kupp’s injury… Josh Allen slams helmet after loss… And more. 

(AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

– My NFL Week 10 Awards kick off with Aaron Jones nailing Marshawn Lynch’s legendary TD celebration and have a lot of fun after that looking at the good, the bad, and the hilarious from Sunday’s action.

– Cooper Kupp suffered an ugly injury Sunday and Rams fans blamed the team’s backup quarterback for it.

Josh Allen slammed his helmet to the ground after Sunday’s stunning loss to the Vikings and NFL fans ripped him for it.

Mike Pereira had a super awkward moment when he apparently didn’t think he was on live TV.

– Tom Brady had another epic receiving fail on a trick play that didn’t trick anyone.

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