Mike McCarthy Confirms Cowboys’ Starting Quarterback After Trey Lance Debate

The Dallas Cowboys endured another brutal defeat on Monday night, falling 34-10 to the Houston Texans. Without Dak Prescott at the helm, the Cowboys’ offense struggled to match playoff-level competition, despite quarterback Cooper Rush throwing for 354 yards and a touchdown. The performance was a stark improvement from Rush’s dismal 45-yard outing against the Eagles the previous week.

Following the loss, head coach Mike McCarthy expressed regret over not giving backup quarterback Trey Lance an opportunity late in the game.

“I think the one thing I should have done at the end that I didn’t do was put Trey in there,” McCarthy admitted. “I could have got him a series. That’s one thing I second-guess myself on.”

Despite that hindsight, McCarthy confirmed on Tuesday that Rush will remain the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for their upcoming game against the Washington Commanders. However, he revealed that Lance will have a specialized package of plays.

“Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Cooper Rush will again be the starter this week. But there will be a package for Trey Lance,” reported Jon Machota, a Cowboys beat writer.

 McCarthy Coaching for His Job

With the Cowboys sitting at 7-7 and McCarthy in the final year of his contract, the pressure to turn the season around is mounting. His future with the team seems uncertain unless Dallas can pull off an improbable playoff run.

“This is it, man,” McCarthy said candidly. “We’ve got seven losses. We gotta go. Backs against the wall. Gotta fight, claw, scratch. Do everything we can to win the next game. That’s where my mind’s at. That’s how we coach, and that’s the expectation. We gotta win.”

He added, “We deserve the opportunity to win, and that’s about putting the best people out there. Right now, our young guys are getting a lot of experience, but we need to do whatever the [expletive] we need to do to win.”

The Cowboys face the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance.