Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy to undergo surgery, still expected on sideline for game against Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys have announced that head coach Mike McCarthy will have surgery on Wednesday to treat an acute case of appendicitis.

This week McCarthy started having stomach pains, which led him to see the Cowboys’ medical staff. Later on Wednesday, he is anticipated to be discharged from the hospital. On Sunday, Dallas will host the Philadelphia Eagles, their NFC East rivals. McCarthy is anticipated to serve as the game’s coach.

McCarthy will miss practice on Wednesday, though. McCarthy will be recovering from surgery, so assistant coaches Dan Quinn, Brian Schottenheimer, and John Fassel will be in charge of the practice.

McCarthy took over the offensive playcalling this season after the team parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but Schottenheimer and the other offensive coaches do play key roles in the game planning.

Dak Prescott, the quarterback for the Cowboys, has been mentioned in relation to MVP discussions as the team is currently experiencing an offensive surge.

Dallas presently leads the league in average points scored per game (32.2).

McCarthy is in the middle of his fourth season as the head coach of the Cowboys. He has nearly twenty years of NFL coaching experience. The current fifth-winningest coach is him.

If McCarthy is not available on Sunday, Quinn could put on the head coach’s headset for the pivotal matchup with the Eagles. Quinn has previous head coaching experience, serving as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach for more than five seasons.

With five weeks remaining in the season, the Cowboys and Eagles continue to battle for the top spot in the division and potentially the top seed in the NFC conference.