Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is away from the team to undergo appendicitis surgery and will be sidelined for Sunday night’s long-awaited rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCarthy was hospitalized Wednesday morning after experiencing abdominal pain, the team said. He will undergo surgery in the afternoon and is expected to be discharged later that day.
Former Atlanta head coach and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn told reporters Wednesday during McCarthy’s regularly scheduled press conference. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was expected to take on those duties Thursday.
McCarthy, who turned 60 last month, is in his fourth year as the Cowboys’ coach, but his first as a play-caller. Quinn did not want to discuss play-calling contingency plans because he expected McCarthy to be available for the game.
In the NFC East, the Cowboys (9-3) trail the defending NFC champion Eagles (10-2) by one game. Dallas enters the rematch on a 14-game winning streak at home, but needs a win to maintain any realistic hopes of taking the division title from Philadelphia. The Eagles won the first matchup in Philadelphia, 28-23.
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Associated Press reported.
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