Taken off MSN. Good summary of what we all have discussed.
By the way it was the same ref that threw the flag (and picked it up) that later called Gilmore for PI on a ball way out of bounds.
And They left off the bad spot on the opening series, which definitely cost us 7pts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blaming the refs is an easy cop out for teams that don't take accountability for their own mistakes, so it was reassuring that the Dallas Cowboys didn't go scorched earth on the officiating after Sunday's crushing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
After all, the refs aren't (totally) to blame for the Cowboys losing. While some calls didn't go Dallas' way,
Mike McCarthy's side shot themselves in the foot too many times to win the game, even if they outplayed the Eagles over four quarters.
Between a couple of big drops, Dak Prescott stepping out of bounds on his two-point scramble, a huge holding penalty on Luke Schoonmaker,
Terence Steele allowing a sack on the Cowboys' final drive and Brandon Aubrey sailing a kickoff out of bounds to gift Philly a short field, it's almost a miracle Dallas was in a position to steal this game late.
All that said, Sunday was a terribly officiated game. While the referees aren't the reason the Cowboys lost, we can't help but wonder if the outcome would've been different if not for these dreadful blunders by the zebras.
4. James Bradberry illegal hands to the face on Michael Gallup
On 2nd and 17 just before the two minute warning in the fourth quarter, Dak Prescott was sacked for a four-yard loss to set up 3rd and 21.
Before the third down, the refs threw a flag on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry after he grabbed Michael Gallup's facemask to deter Gallup's momentum after Gallup beat him off the line of scrimmage. Replay showed that Bradberry make blatant contact with Gallup's helmet and the CB even threw his hands up mid-route to profess his innocence. Gallup's head snapped back from the contact, too.
For whatever reason, the ref who threw the flag picked it up. The decision left Fox's broadcasting team of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen dumbfounded. The Cowboys were unable to convert a 4th and 8 and turned the ball over on downs.They got the ball back after the defense forced an Eagles punt, but they
should've had a fresh set of downs with plenty of time left to win the game. Dallas didn't get the ball back until there was 46 seconds left and they were pinned at their own 14-yard line.
3. No roughing the passer on Dak Prescott headshot
Speaking of Dallas getting the ball back, on that final drive Prescott took a back-breaking sack on 1st and 10 from the Eagles 11-yard line. Terence Steele completely blew his assignment on Josh Sweat and Prescott was tackled for an 11-yard loss.
Out of timeouts, Prescott rushed a deep ball to Jalen Tolbert on the next play that sailed through the end zone. With five seconds left, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for a 23-yard gain, but
the WR was tackled short of the end zone and even fumbled trying to fight through a swarm of Eagles defenders.
Lost amid the chaotic ending was a roughing the passer penalty on Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who leveled Prescott in the helmet on the aforementioned sack.
Despite a valiant effort from Prescott, Sweat wasn't letting the QB escape his grasp. And yet, Carter came flying in with a clear headshot. You can understand why Prescott immediately grabbed his helmet asking for a flag.
There's no clear definition of what qualifies as roughing the passer, but if this doesn't meet the qualifications, then what does? If the refs made the call, Dallas would've had a 1st and goal and four downs to score a touchdown to take the lead.
2. Chuma Edgoa illegal formation in 4th quarter
This error didn't have a huge say in the game's outcome, but it was indefensible.
On 1st and goal with the Cowboys trailing 28-17 with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter, Chuma Edgoa was called for an illegal formation that wiped out a Tony Pollard touchdown. The kicker? Dak Prescott confirmed with the official before the snap that Edoga check in as an eligible receiver.
Prescott threw a touchdown to Jalen Tolbert on the next play, so the Cowboys didn't lose any time, but that bailed out the refs. If Dallas doesn't score there, you're talking about the refs costing them an invaluable six points in a two-score game late in the fourth quarter even though Prescott double checked that Edoga was eligible.
1. Stephon Gilmore pass interference on A.J. Brown
Like roughing the passer, there's no clear definition for what qualifies as pass interference. The definition fluctuates week-to-week and that continued Sunday when
Stephon Gilmore was flagged for DPI on A.J. Brown late in the third quarter.
It appeared that Gilmore interfered with Brown's route, but the WR gave up on the route as Jalen Hurts sailed the ball out of bounds. It was clear to everyone watching that Hurts was throwing the ball away to set up a manageable 3rd and 5.
Unlike Bradberry's illegal hands to the face on Gallup, this call warranted the ref in question to pick up the flag. The Eagles got a fresh set of downs and went on to score a touchdown to take a 28-17 lead before the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys defense could have came up with a stop to overcome the penalty, but that's not the point. It was a free 17 yards that took Philly from their own 42 to Dallas' 41, which essentially put them in four-down territory.
Again, the refs aren't the reason Dallas lost. They made too many mistakes to deserve to win the game, but multiple things can be true: the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot but the Eagles also got the benefit of a home whistle in a high-leverage situation on more than one occasion.
