NFL fans got a huge batch of poetic justice served right before their eyes Sunday afternoon, Jan. 11, when the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Green Bay Packers 26-21. As usual, it was not the fact that they lost, but how they lost that will live on in football lore.
Important context: The Cowboys reached Sunday's divisional-round game after defeating the Detroit Lions in Dallas Jan. 4. That contest was marred by a bit of officiating that was unprecedented and controversial. We will skip the X's and O's, but the 'Boys essentially lucked out big time en route to earning a win in the final minutes of the game.
On Sunday, Dallas seemed poised to carve out another late win when quarterback Tony Romo completed a deep pass to star wideout Dez Bryant on 4th-and-2. Bryant leapt over Green Bay's Sam Shields to make a spectacular catch before crashing to the ground.
The referees ruled Bryant had completed the catch and was down at the 1-yard-line, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy challenged the ruling, and the officials decided to overturn the call and give the ball to the Packers, who promptly marched down the field and ran the clock out to advance to next weekend's NFC Championship Game in Seattle.
Did the refs make the right call? Yes, but the rule is a bit dumb. Bryant failed to maintain possession of the football as he hit the ground, with the ball coming loose from his left arm as he reached for the goal line. To the naked eye, the play was a no-doubt legal catch, but the rulebook was clear: Because Bryant was falling while attempting to make the reception, he needed to hold onto the ball all the way to the ground.
Chances are, our description does not hold a candle to the actual visual evidence, so you can check it out for yourself below:
Naturally, Bryant was livid after the overturned call.
"C'mon man," Bryant told ESPN. "I think it was a catch. They took it away."
Much of the Twitterverse agreed with him. Here is a sampling of the thousands of tweets that expressed outrage over the call:
I by no means cheer for Dallas but I have no idea what or how thts not called a catch . Thts a joke
— Odell Beckham Jr (@OBJ_3) January 11, 2015
#NFL Rules must change. A catch is a catch. That was a catch by Dez Bryant. Elbow down. Ball in hand. Play over. pic.twitter.com/qcRXqhGoos — Steve McEwen (@SteveMcEwen) January 12, 2015
1st day of camp next season, we need a video of Dez catching a ball, taking 1,617 steps in bounds and then asking if that's a catch.
— Cowboys Nation (@CowboysNation) January 12, 2015
Been over 5 hours and I'm still not buying this Dez call. — Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) January 12, 2015
Refs don't think Dez made a football move after the catch. They did not see him switch hands/reach for the goal line. Only saw him fall down
— Ben Rogers (@BenRogers) January 11, 2015
And, finally, a social media word from Bryant himself:
as I went to the ground I rolled over and I tipped the ball to gain better control.. We lost and I accept it but please change that rule — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 12, 2015
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