FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After Sunday's 13-9 loss to the Patriots, a popular post-game question was why – given the Cowboys' difficulties to move the ball in wet conditions – head coach Jason Garrett opted for a 29-yard field goal down seven points with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
It was the Cowboys' second (and final) trip to the red zone Sunday. It was also a fourth-and-7 from the Patriots' 11-yard line – certainly not a high-percentage conversion opportunity.
"Just to give us a chance coming back the other way, fourth-and-7, you know, make it a four-point game," Garrett said. "They go ahead and kick a field goal coming back, you still have a chance to be in the game. We would get it back with just under three, with a chance to go win it. So just felt good about that decision, at that time."
The Cowboys' defense had forced three straight stops and a field goal to that point in the second half, and they did give the offense the ball back with 2:38 left from their own 8-yard line. The drive ended in a turnover on downs due in part to a 10-yard tripping penalty.
Back to the previous field goal drive: Garrett said he would have been more likely to go for it if the offense had a "more manageable" fourth down. On the third-and-7, quarterback Dak Prescott went for the end zone to Blake Jarwin, who made the catch but didn't get both feet in bounds for what would have been the tying score.
"You consider all options, obviously in that situation," Garrett said. "When it went to fourth-and-7, became a little bit more of a not quite as manageable as you would like it to be in that situation to go for it."
