McCarthy after Jerry Jones' criticism: Cowboys don't have 'bad plays'

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't agree with owner Jerry Jones' perception of why the team is struggling this season.

"The types of things that we all think we should be looking at is we're designing bad plays, or we're designing bad concepts," Jones said Tuesday during his weekly radio appearance, according to team reporter Tommy Yarrish. "The facts are that there's some of that, but there's also some of execution."

McCarthy said he didn't see Jones' statements but pushed back against the criticism of the play-calling.

"I talk to Jerry all the time. We've had time to go through the self-scout. I didn't see the comments specifically," McCarthy said, according to The Athletic's Jon Machota. "But I don't think we have bad concepts and bad plays. But I'll go back and check."

Dallas is averaging 21 points and 336.5 yards per game through six contests this season after leading the NFL with 29.9 points and 371.6 yards per game in 2023. Establishing a productive running game has been an ongoing issue during the 2024-25 campaign.

The Cowboys have also been unable to find their stride defensively. Injuries to pass-rushers Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence have not helped a unit that's surrendering 28 points per contest.

Jones said some of the team's issues come from relying upon young players, who are prone to making more mistakes than their veteran counterparts.

But McCarthy, who is in the final year of his contract, is shouldering the blame.

"We're not where we want to be. That's clear, and that's ultimately my responsibility and I'm fully aware of that. We're very diligent. We're on top of what we want to do," he said.

Dallas (3-3) will attempt to get back on track on the road against the San Francisco 49ers (3-4) on Sunday Night Football.