Ex-Cowboys WR gives Mike McCarthy 3-word reality check for abandoning gameplan vs Bengals

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant took aim at Mike McCarthy for continuing to abandon the run game. The Cowboys ran the ball 25 times against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, but Bryant thinks McCarthy needs to stick to the run game.

Speaking on his podcast, Bryant said McCarthy starts the game with plenty of runs, but as the game goes on, he abandons the run game. The former Cowboy later reposted the snippet on his account, writing:

"Facts are facts!"

In the game against Cincinnati, the Cowboys were led by Rico Dowdle, who rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries. Ezekiel Elliott has just two rushes for four carries, while KaVontae Turpin had two carries for 15 yards.

Although Bryant wanted the Cowboys to run the ball more, they did run it 25 times, which is plenty. This season, Dallas is averaging 29.46 carries per game and 141.92 rushing yards per game.

But the former star receiver is frustrated with his former team's play as Dallas is now 5-8 after losing 27-20 against the Bengals. The Cowboys will return to the field on Sunday on the road against the Carolina Panthers.

Jerry Jones not ruling out Mike McCarthy returning as Cowboys coach

Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his five-year contract as the Dallas Cowboys coach.

Dallas is having a frustrating season, which many have thought will lead to McCarthy being let go. However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn't ruling out McCarthy returning next season.

"Well, let me just say this quickly, and Mike is an outstanding coach. He has an outstanding record. He's got great experience," Jones said. "A lot of what he's about, some of the benefits that we're having out there, we're gaining from the type coach that he is.

"And so there's an old adage, when you start thinking about any coaches, you better give it a good look, because he's one of the most outstanding. So again, I've spoken to that about any consideration I'm having, but this was a hard one for him tonight. I'm sure."

McCarthy has been the Cowboys' coach since 2020, going 47-32 and making the playoffs in three of his five years. However, he has yet to win a playoff game.

McCarthy did win a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2010.