Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy defended Trey Lance following his 5-INT game.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t losing confidence in Trey Lance following his five-interception game.

Lance played the entirety of the Cowboys’ preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. Not only did Dallas lose 26-19, Lance threw five interceptions, becoming just the second quarterback over the past 30 preseasons to throw that many interceptions in a single game, according to Ed Werder.

While the performance was certainly a setback after he threw for a touchdown with zero interceptions in a 27-12 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders during the week prior, Lance still has the support of his head coach Mike McCarthy.

Via Jon Machota of The Athletic:

“He continually gets better every time you give him a chance,” said McCarthy on Saturday, August 24 in the postgame press conference. “I think that says a lot about him. He’s just a young guy that needs to play. I think he’ll play in this league for a long time.”

Trey Lance Sends Message on ‘Confidence’ Following 5-INT Game

The 24-year-old Lance didn’t see a single snap of action during the 2023 season after being acquired in a preseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers. Furthermore, he didn’t see much reps or practice time being behind starter Dak Prescott and backup Cooper Rush.

Lance — who hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since Week 2 of the 2022 season — admitted his struggles following the game. However, he stressed that his confidence isn’t going anywhere despite throwing five interceptions.

“Ups and downs for sure,” said Lance after the game. “I turned the ball over too many times. … My confidence isn’t going anywhere. This sucks. This is one I’m not going to forget about any time soon, but it’s part of it. You just got to flush it and turn the page.”

Jerry Jones Defends Trade for Trey Lance Following Game

Team owner Jerry Jones — who previously stated that Lance would be on the 53-man roster when the season starts — made it clear to reporters after the game that he isn’t regretting his decision to trade the former No. 3 overall draft pick. The Cowboys gave up a fourth-round draft pick to the Niners to acquire Lance.

“For a 4th-round pick? Are you kidding me? Although we did get Dak with our second 4th-round pick (in 2016),” said Jones following the game. “But we’ve had some that didn’t play in the 4th round, too.”

While it’s clear Lance has a ways to go before he can be considered a starting quarterback in this league, he did see extended action during the preseason — Prescott didn’t take a single snap and Rush threw just six pass attempts — and showed some bright spots. In fact, Lance became the first player since 2017 to throw for 500 passing yards to go along with 150 rushing yards in a single preseason, as Werder noted.

That’s not even mentioning the 46-yard rushing touchdown that Lance had in the third quarter, showing off his athleticism and playmaker ability. Lance finished with 90 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Lance had been considered in a battle with Rush — Dallas’ longtime backup quarterback — for the No. 2 job behind Prescott. However, after a mistake-filled preseason, it’s more likely that Lance once again begins the season as the third quarterback.