'Tough to Accept': Who's to Blame for Cowboys' Messy Season-Ending Sequence?

The Cowboys (and the refs?) blew their one last chance to win

A faint sense of hope filled the air inside AT&T Stadium during the late stages of Sunday's Wild Card matchup between the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) and San Francisco 49ers (10-7).

Down 23-17, Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott led the offense 39 yards to the Niners' 41-yard line in just 18 seconds. A final shot to the end zone was now well within reach with 14 seconds left.

And yet that shot never came, as the Cowboys' season ended in the wackiest of fashions with a dramatic six-point loss. 

On the game's final play, Prescott took the snap and ran a draw up the middle for 17 yards, but was unable to spike the ball after getting back on his feet with :06 remaining. Umpire Ramon George rushed to the line of scrimmage to get the ball set in time for the snap, nearly knocking Prescott and center Tyler Biadasz over in the process. 

It clearly affected the timing for a successful spike, but the head official for Sunday's game, Alex Kemp, said no mistakes were made by his crew on the final play.

"The umpire spotted the ball properly," Kemp said. "He collided with the players as he was setting the ball because he was moving it to the proper spot." 

Unsurprisingly, Prescott and coach Mike McCarthy were asked about the sequence postgame. 

"We've practiced it," Prescott said. "You hand it to the center ... all (the umpire) has to do usually is come in and tap the ball. It's tough to accept." 

McCarthy felt confident in the play call despite the risk it presented. Other than a shot right to the end zone, it was hard to imagine a different offensive strategy once San Francisco started aggressively guarding the sidelines for the game's final seconds.  

"We shouldn't have had any problem getting the ball spotted there," he said. 

There's a lot to sort out here. 

First, George likely bumped into Prescott unintentionally in order to spot the ball properly and prevent it from being snapped without the right placement. 

But Prescott seems confused about the rule. After getting up, he should have handed the ball straight to the umpire, but elected to give it to center Tyler Biadasz. 

In this case, George technically did the right thing by rushing to spot the ball. But his hesitation on where the actual spot was proved killer for Dallas. 

He moved the ball back one yard, then back up a yard, wasting a precious second that Prescott needed in order to get off the spike. 

Still searching for a logical explanation as to why Umpire Ramon George - arbitrarily, without looking for help from a Line Judge - wastes precious time placing and then re-placing the ball as the clock expires. #dalvssf #dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/UY9UMBmpjx

— Richie Whitt (@richiewhitt) January 17, 2022

George's distance from the action also raises more questions. A sky view of the play shows him all the way on the left side of the photo right at the 50-yard line. 

But the run only went for 17 yards. What was preventing George from progressing downfield with the rest of the play? 

The human aspect of officiating plays a role here, as George just simply wasn't quick or decisive enough to be at the spot in time for Dallas to get set. 

Kemp said George was "absolutely" within a reasonable length away from where Prescott went down, though. 

"We're trailing the play, keeping proper distance so that we can identify fouls, if there are any," Kemp said. "Once the play is over, the umpire immediately goes to spot the ball and that's what he did."

The Cowboys have been no stranger to vocalizing frustration with officiating. Do they have an argument this time around? Or is the play-calling on the final drive to blame?

As much as it will help Dallas fans with accepting the loss, blaming the officials doesn't seem like the right call here. 

Some might argue Prescott is at fault for not sliding sooner or understanding that the ball needed to be handed to the official before the snap. Others will point at McCarthy. 

The desperate attempt to stop the clock could've worked, and the Cowboys still would have had just one play to complete a 24-yard throw in the end zone. A chance is still better than nothing, but it's hard to use the craziness at the end as the primary reason for Dallas' demise on Sunday. 

In reality, it was a combination of things that led to the Cowboys being eliminated. But George still played his part in making fans wonder, "what if?"