Does Mike McCarthy Plan To Use Point Spread To Motivate Underdog Cowboys?

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has been a little preoccupied to take a look at the betting sheet for the NFL’s Week 5 slate.

But when McCarthy was informed Thursday that his team was viewed as 5.5-point underdogs by oddsmakers when they visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, the veteran coach seemed stun.

“We’re underdogs?” McCarthy said with a smile on his face, per Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken.

Whether McCarthy will now use that information as fuel to motivate his team, which has gone 3-0 with backup quarterback Cooper Rush under center, is another story.

“Alright, just wrote my Saturday night speech. I’m good,” McCarthy joked. “I’ve never used it (as motivation). I’ll just say this, we’re nobody’s underdog. So, if you need a quote.”

McCarthy saying he never uses the gambling line as a source of motivation might not be exactly truthful. When initially questioned about how often he uses the point spread as bulletin-board material, McCarthy first went back-and-forth on if he had actually used the tactic before asking what the spread was.

Regardless, the bettors taking the Cowboys moneyline or picking Dallas to cover probably hope McCarthy mentions it to his team as a sign of disrespect.

The Cowboys (3-1) and Rams (2-2) kick off their game Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium.