Everything Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said after the Cowboys lost to the Baltimore Ravens

After Baltimore beat Dallas, 28-25, at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, here are Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s postgame comments, courtesy of the Baltimore and Dallas media relations staffs:

On if this game was just another case of getting down so much early, it’s just too far back to come.

“Oh, I think it’s like anything. Just my last words after the prayer before we went out is, the bags of ice are packed and it’s going to be four quarters. Let’s take this thing into the final rounds. We felt, the start, we needed to get going. They started faster than we did. Six-point half time. As an offensive play caller, I was frustrated. A couple of calls, I definitely wish I would have had back, but you’ve got to love the fight and the effort. But our execution is...we need to be better. When I sit up here and talk about all the work we need to do, those are the things I’m referring to. We had a chance. They made more key plays than we did. I mean, just based off our big play production, numbers at halftime we keep track of, it was plus-eight, plus-eight, and the score didn’t reflect that. I think clearly, the two point play, or they got the big takeaway down there in the red area. And so we just had to battle back. You definitely want to get in front of that team. That’s a team that plays to their strength and their profile - aggressive on defense. Got some excellent players, excellent coach. But we just, we were not clean enough to get the win today.”

On how demoralizing it was to not be able to stop the run.

“Definitely the last two weeks, it’s going to be a clear target on us. And we have to stop it. We’ve got a quick one here, a quick turnaround in New York. So, yeah, it’s our run defense and the attempts on our run offense. We’re clearly not where we need to be right now.”

On winning the toss and talking the ball this week. How much was he counting on the offense scoring some points and kind of setting a tone early.

“Definitely. I was playing to get the lead as fast as we could. It was part of that decision.”

On being frustrated as a play caller. CeeDee Lamb with a couple of drops, a fumble and a penalty. How far away is he from being the kind of player you would like to see?

“I think, especially in a game like today, the most important thing is to look straight in the mirror. We put a lot into this game. We put a lot into it every week. Our practice - sometimes your preparation is really good and you don’t play as well as you would like, and there’s times when your preparation is not very good and you play better than you thought. I think clearly this week our preparation was pretty much in line with the way we played. This group works hard. They do. I truly love the locker room. They’ve got a ton of fight, but we’re going through some growing pains. So, we need to continue to grow. Get ready for this game in New York.

On how tough it is after back-to-back losses to have to turn around and travel in four days.

“I mean, that’s just the schedule. It’s part of the NFL. It’s the beauty of competition. There’s nothing like Sundays, like game day. So, we know what the schedule is. We have a plan. We’ll be in tomorrow, do what we need to do. Get them lined up and get ready to go Thursday night.”

On what he would like to tell the fans who are upset with how the season has started.

“We’re a work in progress. I get it, you love the fan support. I stood up in week one and said the same thing. I didn’t feel like we were anywhere close to where we needed to be in week one. We’ve clearly got some things that we’re going to work on, and anytime you struggle with a situation or, a unit struggles, whether it’s run offense or run defense, or pass protection and so forth. So, we need to clean our own house. Our house isn’t where it needs to be right now.”

On what he wants to see from his receivers

“Well, I think just like anything, you know, there’s more to it. There’s the coverage and just staying after the connection. I thought the pocket was a little hot early. There’s probably a couple of calls I wish I had back. But yeah, I mean, it’s part of the work-in-progress that I referred to. You know, I’m the one who installs the passing game, so I need to do a better job.”

On the reality of playing young players early

“Well, I mean, yes, I think that’s part of the growing pains comment. But the reality is we got to get off this merry-go-round of going 9-10, 11-12 plays and not scoring a touchdown. We’ve done it now three weeks in a row, so we’re extending drives. The start, we got three penalties there, right out of the gate, one on special teams and two on offense. So, you know, it’s definitely not the start, that’s when we talk about taking the ball, that’s not the start we were looking for.”

On Dallas’ running game

“Attempts. We don’t have enough run attempts. It’s 20 pass attempts at halftime. You know, we’re definitely down the road that I didn’t want to be in. I thought our guys, you know, for the looks that they had, I didn’t feel discouraged about the run game at all.”

On how much he wants the comeback to be the thing that players are focused on

“It’s something that doesn’t show up in the playbook, in the scheme. The heart and soul of your football team and the ability to grow emotionally and having that experience. It’s a great fourth quarter for our first-year players. It’s the connection that we don’t have right now to the level that we’re capable of. So, this is the emotional realm that we need to be much better in. They have work ethic, it’s a really good locker room. There’s talent. The mental part of it, we better have taken a step from last week. Last week was totally not good enough. The emotional part is where the real gold is. This end of the game can serve as well.”

On Brandon Aubrey

“He’s a weapon. Common sense, not common sense, but there’s definitely a decision, you know, part of the recommendation was the punt there, particularly that early in the game. But I think it’s A: I believe in them. And B: I think you have to give Brandon those opportunities early. If we think we’re going to be in the playoffs and we’re playing big clutch games in January and December, you don’t want to trot them out there the first time to kick a 64 to win the game. So that’s always been my thinking. That’s what I’ve always done as a head coach, and he just keeps delivering.” If he would’ve gone for a third onside kick in the fourth quarter under the old kickoff rules

“That was a 50-50, call. I was right on the fence, you know, John (Fassel) and I talked about it, had plenty of time to talk about it. We felt that we could get to stop with three timeouts.”

On if he likes having to announce that the team is doing an onside kick now under the new rules

“We’ve talked about this. I think the surprise onside was really a good play that doesn’t exist anymore. But I think it’s part of the big picture. I’m glad the kickoff is at least back in the game to a certain level. It’s the way we have to do it right now.”