FRISCO, Texas -- In the divisional round of the 2014 NFL playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, coach Mike McCarthy wasted little time in throwing the red challenge flag after Dez Bryant's fourth-down catch at the Green Bay Packers' 1-yard line.
Given what was at stake, the play was too big not to challenge, and McCarthy was rewarded, although the NFL subsequently changed its rules regarding what is a catch partly based on that play.
On Sunday in Week 17, McCarthy faced another big challenge decision after a 10-yard Dante Pettis catch set up a field goal attempt from 50 yards that pushed the New York Giants' lead to 23-19 with 6:27 to play.
McCarthy did not throw the red challenge flag; Giants place-kicker Graham Gano made the field goal and the Cowboys were unable to score a touchdown to beat New York, losing 23-19. Their season ended with a 6-10 record.
"Just felt it was too close," McCarthy said. "Felt it was a bang-bang situation and the fact of the matter is we were in a tight game and the three timeouts was obviously of high value there. We just didn't think there was enough information to overturn it."
After the game, McCarthy had not had a chance to get a closer look at the Pettis catch (or non-catch?) and did not regret making the decision, even if television replays appeared to show Pettis needed the ground to complete the reception. That would have meant the Cowboys could have won the game with a late field goal after driving deep inside Giants' territory. Maybe New York would have defended differently with a one-point lead, knowing a field goal would have lost the game. Maybe the Cowboys don't get deep into Giants' territory.
It's a question that will never be answered and the decision sent the Cowboys into an offseason in which they need plenty of answers.
Do they get a long-term deal done with quarterback Dak Prescott or will he play the 2021 season on the franchise tag? With the regular season now over, the sides can begin talks on a deal and have until mid-July to get something done before Prescott would have to play on a second straight tag.
Does Dallas change defensive coordinators? Mike Nolan's unit allowed the most points in franchise history and the second-most rushing yards, but could the final four weeks in which the Cowboys had 12 takeaways mitigate what seemed to be a foregone conclusion regarding the coordinator's future?
The Cowboys answered one lingering question over the weekend by keeping offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on a three-year deal.
One area the Cowboys didn't know they would need to address was McCarthy's game management.
Go back to the season opener when McCarthy eschewed a short game-tying field goal attempt in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams and lost, 20-17.
And there were two ill-fated fake punts in the Week 2 win against the Atlanta Falcons, as well as the curious decision to go for two points when down nine, which required the lucky recovery of an onside kick with 1:49 to play.
In the Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, McCarthy elected for the Cowboys to kick the point-after attempt when facing a nine-point deficit in the third quarter.
While Sunday's loss to the Giants eliminated the Cowboys' chances of winning the NFC East, it was their two losses against the Washington Football Team that ultimately will keep them from the playoffs.
In the Thanksgiving Day loss to Washington, McCarthy OK'd a fake punt on fourth-and-10 from the Dallas 24 with the Cowboys trailing, 20-16, in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson was dropped for a 1-yard loss and Washington scored on its next play, sending the rival on its way to a 41-16 win.
"Well, you don't get anywhere if you think about the negatives all the time," McCarthy said after the Washington game. "Obviously, it was a solid playcall. It's a good play design."
McCarthy's decision to not challenge the Pettis catch, which should not be a surprise since he challenged two calls all season, was not the only eye-brow raiser during Sunday's game. With 8:39 left in the third quarter, running back Ezekiel Elliott scored to cut the New York lead to 20-15. McCarthy elected to kick the PAT instead of going for a two-point conversion because he thought too much time remained to chase the point if the Cowboys did not convert.
"[Time] is part of the equation there. There's other variables you look at," McCarthy said. "You have numbers obviously that you are aware of going into the game, but how the game's being played and all the other variables are discussed. That's why the decision was made and I thought it was a clean decision."
There can be some incongruity in not going for two that early and not challenging the Pettis catch that late. McCarthy's predecessor, former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, said there were times he would challenge plays in question even if he was not assured of a positive result because the plays were too important.
The Pettis catch was one of those situations. Just as the Bryant catch was in the 2014 playoffs.
Does McCarthy think the Cowboys had an issue with game management in 2020?
"No," he said. "Not at all."