Mike McCarthy digests preseason loss, sees promise in Lance

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy reflects on the team's first preseason loss

Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener ended in a narrow 13-12 defeat against the Los Angeles Rams, but head coach Mike McCarthy remained optimistic about the team's progress, particularly focusing on the development of quarterback Trey Lance.

McCarthy highlighted Lance's overall command and poise during the game which was Lance's first action as a Cowboy since being traded to Dallas last year.

"The first step is really the boundary communication and so forth," McCarthy explained. "Just the way he handled it, I mean the play entry was clean... I really liked his command."

The coach emphasized the need to expose Lance to challenging game situations. While acknowledging that Lance's dropback passing needs refinement, McCarthy stressed the importance of continued practice and game experience.

"Those four down snaps those will pay dividends in the future," McCarthy said. "We just need as much time as we can. I know I say that every time I talk about him, but he's making good progress."

McCarthy expressed satisfaction with the offense's ability to sustain drives and the defense's four takeaways. However, he also acknowledged the missed opportunities in the red zone.

"When you move the ball the way we did and the defense takes it away four times, there's a lot of good in that," McCarthy said. "We just didn't finish any drives. We had I don't know how many 11-play drives, and then we didn't come out with any points."

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