McCarthy confident he can bring Cowboys success: 'I know how to win'

Coach Mike McCarthy believes he's the man to end the Dallas Cowboys' championship drought despite a first-round playoff exit in his second season with the team.

"I understand what goes on here every day," said McCarthy, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. "I know how to win. I know how to win in this league. I know how to win playoff games. I know how to win a championship.

"So I have great confidence in that. What we've built here in two seasons, I feel very good about, and I think with that you just stay true to that. The hard part is the personal (aspect). We all have kids, so that's the part that I don't like. I would hope people are respectful to that."

The Cowboys quickly shot down speculation that McCarthy's future was in doubt following the wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that he was "very confident" the head coach would return.

"We had very positive conversations and, just, the focus is on the evaluation process," McCarthy said.

Dallas went 6-10 last season after quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the year. The club bounced back in 2021, earning a 12-5 record and its first NFC East title since 2018.

Despite the improvement, McCarthy's team has continued to garner criticism for its poor discipline and lack of preparation. Both issues were at the forefront of the loss to the 49ers.

The Cowboys had a playoff-record tying 14 penalties in the contest and missed out on a chance at a Hail Mary when Prescott ran out of time to spike the ball after rushing for 17 yards on a draw play.

McCarthy defended the play once again, arguing it was the right decision but an unlucky outcome as Prescott collided with the official who was attempting to spot the ball, causing a crucial delay.

"We had great confidence in that situation because we were just trying to get inside the 30-yard line to change the play-call for the final play. So, it's the right call based on our preparation," McCarthy said, according to NFL.com's Chase Goodbread. "It's a 13-second threshold is the call. So, that 14 seconds, in my view, that's the right call."