It has not been a stellar first season with the Dallas Cowboys for head coach Mike McCarthy.

Tuesday's 34-17 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens further highlighted the team's ineptitude.

Dallas' nightmarish 2020 campaign was encapsulated by a “breakdown in the communication” during a crucial sequence in the second quarter. After a series of Ravens miscues – including the ultra-rare Justin Tucker missed field goal – the Cowboys had a chance to close Baltimore's lead to 14-13 before the end of the first half, with Greg Zuerlein lining up for a 35-yard field goal.

Instead, a costly delay of game penalty pushed the kick back five yards, and Zuerlein's attempt sailed wide of the right post. This left McCarthy peeved, and the Cowboys coach later tried to explain what caused the special teams blunder and why he didn't cal a timeout when he sensed confusion on the field.

Via Jon Machota of The Athletic:

“Those are the kinds of mistakes that you can’t make in a game like this,” McCarthy acknowledged after the game. “We needed points there.”

“Frankly, I thought we were going to snap the ball and kick the field goal,” he said. “There was obviously a breakdown in our operation.”

Zuerlein, for his part, still believes he should have made the 40-yard attempt:

“I think conditions are fine,” he said. “Even if there is wind, I’m good enough to make the kick. I just didn’t do it.”

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The botched field goal was certainly not the only mistake McCarthy's Cowboys squad made on Tuesday. Mike Nolan's league-worst defense surrendered 294 rushing yards to the Ravens, including notable miscues, such as allowing a 37-yard touchdown run to Lamar Jackson on a 4th-and-2 in the first quarter:

“Just when you feel like you’re taking steps as a team,” McCarthy added, “the keys to the game was stopping the run, and we definitely didn’t get that done tonight.”

Dallas, at 3-9, now sits at the bottom of the NFC East. The Cowboys will get their next chance to clean up their play on Sunday against the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals.