Cowboys’ McCarthy defends first-half timeout fiasco: ‘I was comfortable’

In the end, it made no difference. The Cowboys’ 41-21 trouncing of division rival Philadelphia put Dallas in sole possession of the NFC East lead, although that only means so much at this point in the season. Any number of things might happen between now and the finish line that could sour the optimism currently flooding Cowboys Nation.

The same could have been said in microcosm of Monday night’s game- in particular, the closing minutes of the first half. Coach Mike McCarthy’s decision to save the team’s two timeouts as the Eagles stalled deep in their own territory, to not give his own potent offense an opportunity to extend their 20-7 lead heading into the intermission, was a baffling one then and remains a baffling one in the morning light, no matter how favorably the game ended.