Why holding penalty on Tyler Guyton doesn't make a lot of sense

Dallas Cowboys rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton was called for the most pointless holding penalty in the NFL.

Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys took care of business against an old NFC East foe when they took down the New York Giants Thursday night. However, the game was largely shadowed by the officiating.

It felt as if the first half would never end due to the endless yellow laundry tossed all over the field.

One Cowboys player affected by all the penalties was rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton. Guyton had the duty of protecting quarterback Dak Prescott from pass rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. Both Giants' edge rushers are great talents that proved to be a massive test for Guyton.

MORE: Tyler Guyton rips NFL referees officiating after Cowboys' TNF win

During Guyton's test, he was called for a hold against Thibodeaux, which seemed unfair.

I hate how this is enforced. A DL is offsides so the OT holds him so he doesn’t hit the QB. So now it’s offsetting penalties.

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 27, 2024

Thibodeaux jumped offsides, giving the Cowboys a free play to take a shot down the field. However, with Thibodeaux's early jump, Guyton could really do nothing but hold him unless he wanted Prescott to take a shot.

The penalty-slinging officiating crew was quick to call the offsides and the holding, which doesn't make a lot of sense.

Penalizing the offensive lineman in that situation didn't seem to make a lot of sense. It's situations like this that make me understand why some officiating crews just call the play dead to begin with.

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