The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of their first loss since before the bye week after falling to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
It was essentially a tale of four quarters, with each stanza showing a different version of the Cowboys that ultimately ended in their defeat.
Though they had success on offense, mainly in the second half, the defense told us the same story throughout: they still aren’t good enough to compete versus the best offenses in the NFL.
Aside from all the actual gameplay, there is a group of opposing fans on Twitter/X who swear the Cowboys gain the officials’ favor week in and week out.
I beg to differ, considering the fact the Cowboys are actually one of the most penalized teams in the league through 14 weeks.
The Cowboys have been flagged 126 times, second only to Jacksonville’s 130, and they have had more accepted penalties at home (54) than away (47).
Imagine my surprise when someone on Twitter/X pointed out five non-calls the referees missed against the Cowboys on Thursday night that could have made the final score even worse.
Ezeiruaku’s Horsecollar Tackle
Early in the first half, Lions’ QB Jared Goff took a shotgun snap and handed off to electric RB Jahmyr Gibbs on a sweep to the left side.
Rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku set the edge like a veteran would, and took down Gibbs for a loss on the play, much to the chagrin of all Cowboys fans watching.
The catch? Ezeiruaku committed a horsecollar penalty while bringing Gibbs down, yanking on the front of his shoulder pad in the process.
No flag was thrown where there should have been.
No Offsides Called
Later in the 2nd quarter, the Lions faced a critical third down play.
Goff threw a pass to the left sideline under heavy pressure by James Houston, and the ball fell harmlessly to the turf, leading to a Lions’ punt.
The catch? There was pressure from Houston because he got a jump on the snap, but the refs did not throw a flag.
There was even a moment of hesitation from Houston himself because he realized he had jumped offsides, but no flag came.
Overshown’s Helmet to Helmet
Early in the 4th quarter, with the Lions facing yet another 3rd and long situation, a quick screen to the left to Jameson Williams was called.
A Cowboys defender came in swiftly to wrap Williams up for a tackle, but instead of going to the ground, the ball-carrier continued to fight, staying upright.
Like a missile shot out of a cannon, LB DeMarvion Overshown came flying in from the middle of the field to lay a hit on Williams.
The only problem is Overshown was looking to hit-stick, and led with his helmet to make contact with Williams. No flag was thrown, and the Lions punted the ball back to Dallas.
False Start
Late in the 4th quarter and down by 10, the Cowboys faced a 3rd down inside the Lions’ 10-yard line.
LT Nate Thomas clearly jumped into his pass protection stance before the ball was snapped, but no flag was thrown.
The pass from Prescott to Ferguson fell harmlessly to the turf, and K Brandon Aubrey made the chipshot field goal to bring the score to 37-30.
Calling false start there likely wouldn’t have affected the game, but it’s another example of a call the officials missed.
Spann-Ford’s Personal Foul
Diving back into early 2nd quarter, the Cowboys were kicking off after an Aubrey field goal that brought the score to 10-6.
The Lions’ returner sprinted to the right, where he was quickly met by TE Brevyn Spann-Ford, who had perfect kick coverage, and made a sure tackle.
After the tackle and in the process of getting to his feet, Spann-Ford pushed down hard on the ball-carrier, slamming his head back into the turf.
It was an obvious hit after the play, but no flag was thrown.
I’m not sharing these plays to add fuel to the fire that the refs favor the Cowboys. That is disproven by the fact they rank second in the NFL in penalties.
I simply wanted to point these out to show that all officials miss calls. Sometimes they may be in the Cowboys’ favor, but it goes both ways.
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