The Dallas Cowboys' championship drought extended to 27 years in January, when they suffered a gut-wrenching home loss to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17, in the NFC wild-card round. Dallas, which led the NFL in both average points scored and yards this regular season, became just the second 500-point offense in league history to exit the playoffs in the wild-card round.
To make matters worse, their titles hopes were dashed on a botched play call late in the fourth quarter. With 14 seconds left and no timeouts, Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott ran up the middle of the field for a 17-yard gain, and wasn't able to stop the clock with a spike before time expired. Consequently, their chance at a last-second, game-tying Hail Mary attempt never occurred.
"I know football -- offensively, defensively, every aspect it. And having played under Coach Landry, and what I learned from him. But, I have to admit, I can't figure out today's Cowboys," Hall of Fame cornerback and Cowboys legend Mel Renfro told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Wednesday. "I can't figure out what the problem is, how they can be so good in certain games and then so bad in certain games.
"The consistency is just not there. This game, going to a Super Bowl, you've got to have consistency. But, I've got to admit, I don't know -- I can't figure it out. I talk to my wife about it all the time, my friends. And I talk in interviews, confidently. And I can't figure it out, how you can be as hot and cold as the Cowboys have been -- and not only this past year, but in the last 20 years."
Prescott's designed scramble will be etched in fans' brains and remembered as a classic game-altering play, but the Cowboys' high-powered offense was surprisingly inefficient throughout the afternoon. Prescott threw for only 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked five times and hit on nearly half of his dropbacks. Dallas also committed 14 penalties.
Still, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy doubled down in defending their season-ending play call, telling reporters that the QB-draw with 14 seconds remaining and no timeouts was the right decision, based on preparation for the crunchtime situation. Prescott also told reporters that the Cowboys had practiced the play, and it was "tough to accept" how the moment unfolded.
The entire conversation between Renfro and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.