ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys thought they have been going to get another snap, another probability to keep away from one other playoff setback.
Prescott’s spike on the finish of a wild remaining sequence got here too late. Time had run out on this season, the twenty sixth in a row for Jerry Jones’ workforce ending nicely in need of one other Tremendous Bowl.
“I assumed every little thing was executed nicely — till it wasn’t,” Prescott mentioned after the 23-17 wild-card loss at dwelling to the San Francisco 49ers.
Within the remaining minute Sunday, San Francisco needed to punt after All-Professional Deebo Samuel’s run initially was dominated to have picked up a primary down earlier than a video evaluation confirmed he was inches quick. Then the 49ers’ All-Professional deal with, Trent Williams, was penalized for not being set on Jimmy Garoppolo’s profitable sneak for the primary down, and the 49ers as an alternative needed to kick.
Dallas bought the ball at its 20 with 32 seconds remaining. Prescott accomplished three consecutive passes, with the receivers getting out of bounds every time, and there have been 14 seconds left when he ran 17 yards to the 49ers 24. However the ball by no means bought formally set for one more play earlier than time ran out, though the quarterback did spike it.
“It’s the fitting choice,” coach Mike McCarthy mentioned of that operating play. “We shouldn’t have any drawback getting the ball spiked.”
Prescott, the $40 million-a-year quarterback, bought tackled from behind and mentioned he noticed 4 seconds on the clock when lining up behind middle Tyler Biadasz. However umpire Ramon George then ran into the quarterback whereas shifting the ball a few half a yard for the official spot.
“I attempted to collect myself again and nonetheless thought I had time to get it down,” Prescott mentioned. “In hindsight, I might say I ought to have went down sooner if I’d have recognized all of that was going to play out that means. I additionally suppose if I don’t get hit from behind, it’s clear and we’re clocking the ball with at minimal a second if no more, it not two or three on the clock.”
McCarthy mentioned he’s by no means seen a collision like that between an umpire and quarterback in an end-game state of affairs, and thought from what he heard from a sideline official that the play was being reviewed and time can be added again to the clock. That by no means occurred.
“The following factor I do know, (officers) are operating off the sector,” he mentioned.
The 49ers wanted a frantic comeback every week in the past to beat the Rams and make the postseason. Now, they transfer on, whereas NFC East champion Dallas is finished early once more.
“Robust to simply accept,” Prescott mentioned. “Undoubtedly powerful to simply accept.”
A lot went mistaken for the Cowboys even earlier than their comeback fell quick. There was the move that whizzed by the pinnacle of open receiver Cedrick Wilson, who apparently by no means noticed the ball wanting again into the solar shining via the large glass doorways on the west finish of AT&T Stadium. There have been 14 penalties, a number of wiping out large features.
There have been no desperately wanted do-overs, aside from the punt that hit the large video board looming excessive above the sector.
These Cowboys are nonetheless a great distance from the place they have been the final time they performed San Francisco within the postseason — in three consecutive NFC championship video games within the mid-Nineties. Since successful the Tremendous Bowl on the finish of the 1995 season, once they beat Inexperienced Bay within the NFC title sport, the Cowboys haven’t made it previous the divisional spherical of the playoffs. They didn’t even get that far this time, of their eleventh postseason look since these three Tremendous Bowl titles over a four-season span early in Jones’ possession of the workforce.
When requested the final time he was this dissatisfied after a loss, Jones bluntly mentioned he couldn’t keep in mind.
“I’m simply dissatisfied that we have been in that spot,” Jones mentioned of the desperation end. “The make-up of not solely the personnel however our season, I didn’t suppose I used to be going to be standing right here with you tonight visiting like this, for positive.”
Dallas was down 16-7 simply earlier than halftime, and dealing with third-and-20 from midfield, when Prescott threw towards Wilson. Whereas it nonetheless would have been in need of a primary down, a completion would have not less than given Greg Zuerlein the possibility to aim a protracted area purpose.
The Cowboys have been fourth-and-20 to begin the second half — after consecutive false begin penalties and a Prescott sack — when Mark Nzeocha bought a private foul for roughing the punter. Six performs later, punter Bryan Anger was again on the sector and his towering kick ricocheted off the underside of the huge board.
“That is very uncommon,” reference Alex Kemp mentioned when saying what occurred, including that it “quantities to a do-over.”
Dallas wanted greater than that.
After getting probably the most penalties within the NFL through the common season, the Cowboys tied their season excessive with 14, together with defensive finish Randy Gregory getting penalized for holding on a operating play within the remaining two minutes.
Already down 10—0, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for a 32-yard achieve into 49ers territory on Dallas’ second possession. However that third-down completion was worn out by a holding name, they usually punted a play later.
One other lengthy completion to Lamb late within the third quarter was erased due to an unlawful shift. The Cowboys did recuperate from that to get a 51-yard area purpose from Zuerlein and make it 23-10. They bought their final landing on a 5-yard scramble by Prescott to capitalize on an interception by Anthony Brown.
That was the one turnover pressured by the Cowboys, who led the NFL with 34 takeaways within the common season.
The Cowboys had received their earlier three wild-card playoff video games, all at AT&T Stadium because it opened for the 2009 season. They'd then gone on the highway and misplaced divisional spherical video games, the final three years in the past.
However issues went mistaken even earlier than this sport started, with Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch’s title misspelled on the again of his No. 55 jersey when he got here out for pregame warmups. The jersey had the “c” and “s” transposed in his final title, and he wore it all through the sport.
One other do-over that they didn’t get.
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