It was a valiant team performance for the Cowboys, especially after last week's humiliating defeat in Buffalo.
Dak Prescott orchestrated a 17-play, 66-yard drive to set up the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. This was a scenario and sequence that allowed the Cowboys offense to excel under pressure. The Cowboys' defense also played well against the high-powered Dolphins, holding the league's top-scoring offense to just one touchdown and five field goals.
However, the 22-20 defeat featured two crucial errors that could have made the difference.
Dallas drove all over the field on its first possession, taking nearly eight minutes and setting the tone that any successful away team would set. But a lost fumble on Prescott's handoff to fullback Hunter Luepke on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line canceled the brilliant start and left points on the board in a two-point loss.
A facemask penalty on the first play of the Dolphins' game-winning drive set the Dolphins up for success. Tua Tagovailoa and Co. peppered Dallas with a series of short passes before Jeff Wilson Jr. ran for the final first down and helped set up Jason Sanders' game-winning 29-yard field goal.
“It was a massive game and exactly what we expected – situational football,” McCarthy said. “The face mask penalty was a big decision [on the final drive]. It's a challenge in these games because you know it's going to come down to one play, and they probably made a play or two that we didn't make.”
The Cowboys (10-5) host the Detroit Lions (11-4) in Week 17 before traveling to Washington for their final regular season game. A road win against a four-win Commanders team won't change the story of the Cowboys' struggles outside of Dallas, but they've seen how slim the margin of error can be.
McCarthy's team will do their best and hope to overcome these road problems on the biggest stage.