Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy could’ve used the 10 minutes he had with his players at halftime to unload on them—and no one would’ve blamed him. Dallas, already 0-1, lost three fumbles, fouled up a fake punt, went 2-of-6 on third down, and allowed two of the most wide-open touchdown passes you’ll ever see, the first to Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst, the second to wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Instead, McCarthy calmly told his players they needed to do two things over the last 30 minutes. They needed to take care of the ball better. And they needed to steal a possession.