ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott found it repugnant.
When a reporter told him Dallas Cowboys fans threw garbage at Cowboys players after their playoff loss Sunday, the franchise quarterback indignantly called it “sad” and “tough.” He scolded fans for dumping debris on players who devote so much of their bodies to the game, players who themselves were disappointed by the result.
Prescott was then told that those fans were actually aiming for the officiating crew.
“A credit to them then,” Prescott said.
It all felt so familiar Sunday evening. Another home defeat after which the Cowboys griped about the officiating. Another playoff appearance featuring an early exit. Dallas was outplayed in a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but some of the players took exception with the role that officials had.
Certainly, the frustration was understandable.
Dallas drew 14 penalties, which tied an NFL playoff record, for 89 yards compared to nine flags for 58 yards on the 49ers. A holding penalty on linebacker Luke Gifford wiped out running back Tony Pollard’s long kickoff return. Defensive end Randy Gregory was twice flagged for neutral zone infraction when 49ers left tackle Trent Williams appeared to move before the snap.
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was injured early in the first quarter, needing to pass a sideline concussion exam to reenter the game, when taking a block to the back into Williams.
No flag.
Parsons appeared to be held on a touchdown. No flag. There was substitution confusion on a play after the Cowboys converted a fake punt. That resulted in a delay of game, killing whatever jolt of energy that gadget play had brought into the stadium.
Among other questionable calls along the way, umpire George Ramon collided into Prescott from behind in the game’s final seconds when trying to set the ball at the 49ers’ 24-yard line. This was the most fatal moment.
No time remained. The game and season were over.
“I’m not going to sit here and go through the officiating,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think over the long haul you hope it balances out. I thought they would let these teams play today, but that’s for them to answer, and I’m sure they’ll have their comments on how they felt the game was officiated.”
The Cowboys lambasted their officiating earlier this season immediately following home losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. Ramon, the one who collided into Prescott, actually was the same umpire as the Cowboys were assigned in the Cardinals game.
Prescott believed the questionable calls shouldn’t have mattered.
The team shouldn’t have allowed the game’s margin to be decided by those calls.
But he meant what he said. The officials scrambled off the field once the game concluded, the eight-man crew sprinting toward the nearest AT&T Stadium tunnel. That is when several fans grabbed what they could — bottles, other garbage — and flung away.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had to deflect a bottle that otherwise would have struck him.
“The fans felt the same way as us,” Prescott said. “I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast. I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out.”
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