McCarthy Calls Out Cowboys for Not Confronting Jon Bostic After Andy Dalton Hit

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy expected his players to confront the Washington Football Team's Jon Bostic after the linebacker sent quarterback Andy Dalton to the locker room following a helmet-to-helmet hit Sunday at FedEx Field.

The Cowboys did no such thing.

"We speak all the time about playing for one another, protecting one another," McCarthy said postgame, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "It definitely was not the response you would expect."

Dalton, who was starting his second game after Dak Prescott's season-ending ankle injury, had completed nine passes on 19 attempts for 75 yards Sunday. He'd also been sacked three times leading up to his injury, which occurred in the third quarter of the Cowboys' 25-3 loss. He was evaluated for a concussion and ruled out, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.

Bostic was ejected following the hit. Machota added after the game that Dalton was alert but did not remember the play that sent him to the sidelines. The quarterback was expected to fly home with the Cowboys. 

Ben DiNucci, a 2020 seventh-round pick out of James Madison, filled in for Dalton. He completed two of three passes for 39 yards and was sacked three times in his second NFL appearance, which came after he played one series in last week's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

If Dalton remains out, Garrett Gilbert, who appeared in five games for the Cleveland Browns last season and signed with Dallas last week, or tight end Blake Bell, who played quarterback at Oklahoma, could fill in under center, according to Archer.