Getty Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy
Nearly every Dallas Cowboys player interviewed after their Week 17 loss to Arizona had something to say about the game’s controversial ending, and more than a few directed intense ire at the NFL officiating process.
“Playing against the refs again, like usual. It seems like an every week occurrence,” defensive end Randy Gregory proclaimed, via The Athletic.
The Cowboys were flagged 10 times (88 yards) in the 25-22 defeat at AT&T Stadium, infractions that often stalled offensive drives or extended defensive series. Team owner/general manager Jerry Jones admitted in his postgame press conference that he “expected those penalties” because referee Scott Novak’s crew historically “calls a lot of ticky-tack” fouls.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb echoed Jones’ complaint.
“You can’t get a rhythm. You can’t move the ball,” Lamb said to reporters, via Pro Football Talk. “Every big play was called back because of some kind of call. The refs, I feel like, dictated that game. It’s no secret.”
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LVE Unloads on Controversial Non-Fumble
The turning point of Sunday’s potential playoff preview came with roughly 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter; the Cowboys were trailing, 25-22, and desperately needed to force a punt. A miracle seemingly arrived via Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds, who appeared to fumble a first-down carry, recovered by Cowboys defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.
The officials, however, ruled that Edmonds was down by contact, and because Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy had exhausted his three timeouts, the play could not be challenged. The Cardinals maintained possession, drained the clock, and scored a massive victory — much to the chagrin of the home club.
“It was totally a fumble,” Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch said after the game, via Pro Football Talk. “I just don’t understand how with the technology that we have today, even if we don’t have timeouts, or whatever it may be, to . . . [not be able to] challenge it. It’s so obvious. Certain things are so obvious in games that refs are messing up. Why aren’t they fixing it? It doesn’t make any sense to me. To me, we’re playing more against the refs than we are other teams.”
Vander Esch added: “If it’s so blatant on the field and so obvious, why the [referee in the replay booth] isn’t radioing down, ‘Hey, get this right.’ That’s not hard. That’s the ethics of the game. Getting it right. ‘Hey, you made a mistake, here; get it right. Here is the right call.’”
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Jerry Lauds Cards’ Game Plan
To pin Dallas’ loss directly on the refereeing overshadows due credit for the Cardinals, whose offense outgained the Cowboys’ league-leading unit, whose defense outplayed Dan Quinn’s star-studded group, and whose coach outclassed the ever-embattled McCarthy.
“They were well prepared,” Jones conceded after the game, via 105.3 The Fan. “Their coach and their staff were outstanding. They did a great job of attacking us and our fronts. They compromised early what we were trying to do to protect Dak. Compromised our ability to run. We went in with, obviously, run the ball. We had to get outta that pretty quick. So they just played an overall game.
“That is the type of team – they will be playing, and very likely could play us – that’s the type of team that we’ll be playing every time we line up in the playoffs.”