Cowboys' McCarthy defends failed fake punt: 'It was a solid play call'

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy stood by his decision to run a fake punt deep in his own end in Thursday's blowout loss against Washington.

"You won't get anywhere if you're thinking about negatives all the time. Obviously, it was a solid play call. It's a good play design," McCarthy said after the game, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

The Cowboys, down by only four at the time, opted for a fake punt at their own 24-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Washington defense's stymied the play with ease.

Washington capitalized on Dallas' error, scoring a touchdown to start a 21-point unanswered scoring run to cap off a 41-16 victory.

The Cowboys failed to overcome a multitude of mistakes during the game, committing two turnovers and converting just one of four fourth-down attempts.

Dallas moved to 3-8 with the loss and now sits at the bottom of the NFC East while Washington took sole possession of the division lead.