The Dallas Cowboys have been ousted from the NFL Playoffs in heartbreaking fashion, as per usual. While heartbreak is no unfamiliar feeling for the Cowboys faithful, this loss stung particularly bad.
In fairness, it didn’t really feel like the Cowboys were in it for most of the game. Still, they found themselves down by 6 points with a final drive to go.
With promise of a spectacular ending, win or lose, this is what happened…
A quarterback draw is a peculiar play call to finish the game. While the idea is to take the easy yardage and leave enough time to clock the ball, there are so many variables that go into a hurry-up play like that. The Cowboys were unable to get the ball spiked, and ended up losing the game without so much as a shot at the end zone.
Following the game, head coach Mike McCarthy defended the decision. He explained that it’s a play the team practices every week, and that he was under the impression that the officials were going to put time back on the clock.
He went a little more in depth with the process, as well.
“We shouldn’t have had any problem getting the ball spotted,” he explained to the media.
The key to the failure was the fact that the referee had to touch the ball before the play could start. Once the offensive line had set themselves for the snap, the ref had trouble getting to the ball, and the final few precious seconds ticked off the clock.
Some Cowboys fans, like Skip Bayless, were quick to blame the refs. While you could make the case that the refs should be more prepared for anything, the QB Draw was a baffling play call to begin with. Like we previously mentioned, it’s a decision that leaves for a lot of variable.
Football fans weren’t happy with the explanation.
