It's back to the drawing board for coach Mike McCarthy the rest of the brain trust of the Dallas Cowboys after falling short against the San Francisco 49ers in their Wild Card affair on Sunday night.

It's another early exit for the Cowboys in the NFL Playoffs, as they head into another offseason filled with discontent and disappointment. While McCarthy praised the 49ers for their impressive showing, he couldn't help but throw a subtle jab when asked about the performance of the referees (via Michael Gehlken of Dallas Morning News).

“I thought they would let these teams play today. That’s for them to answer.”

The Cowboys, safe to assume, will rue what happened in their last-second attempt to steal the victory. After Dak Prescott scrambled for 17 yards, the clock ran out before they could start their final snap, as the umpire was unable to set the ball for play in time.

The Cowboys, however, shot themselves in the foot. They had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, but they were largely shackled by the 49ers' aggressive defense. CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliot hardly made an impact. The team was also flagged 14 times for 89 yards.

The mediocre showing couldn't come at the worst time for the Cowboys, who topped the NFC East in Prescott's comeback season. The Cowboys haven't moved past the divisional round since winning the Super Bowl in 1995.