Mike McCarthy faced no one more in the NFL than Lovie Smith.
McCarthy was the coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006-18, and Smith manned the sideline for the Chicago Bears from 2004-12. The two former NFC champion coaches encountered one another 15 times during their stint together in the NFC North.
Smith is known for his Tampa 2 scheme, but McCarthy told reporters after the Cowboys’ 27-23 win over the Texans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington that Smith was running something else on Sunday afternoon.
“As far as the type of coverages, it’s more quarters than I’ve ever seen a lot of people play,” McCarthy said. “Lot of combinations to that.”
McCarthy explained that Smith excels as a “vision defensive coordinator.”
Said McCarthy: “I thought they played with good vision, and they were on our hip every time the ball was thrown and caught.”
The Texans entered Week 14 as one of the better teams in the NFL at limited yards after the catch with opponents compiling 1,182 over the first 12 games. Similarly the Cowboys’ big-play receivers such as CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup were limited to seven catches for 73 yards combined.
Cornerback Tremon Smith was a beneficiary of the Texans’ scheme against the Cowboys as he collected two interceptions of quarterback Dak Prescott.
