The Dallas Cowboys lost the battle but will hope to regain their footing before postseason play in an attempt to win the war — and hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
One war Dallas won’t be winning anytime soon is Micah Parsons’ against NFL officials. The elite pass rusher hasn’t drawn a holding penalty in 38 quarters, and a controversial roughing-the-passer call didn’t help fans’ confidence in the league’s officiating.
Indeed, Parsons himself – already vocal about the issue – reacted to Sunday’s Christmas Eve loss at Miami by accusing the officials of harboring an anti-Cowboys bias.
Late in the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins, Parsons hit quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after he threw an incomplete pass. He didn’t lead with his helmet or take extra steps—in real speed, it very much looked like a typical football play. Yet, he was called for roughing Tagovailoa, and on the next play, the Dolphins scored a touchdown, taking a 13-7 lead at the half.
The Cowboys lost 22-20 in Miami on Sunday.
Parsons was irate at the call, and justifiably so. After the game, he spoke about his frustration.
“It’s mind-blowing, the things that are getting called, and the positions that we get put in,” Parsons said. “We just have to learn how to fight the adversity. I know a lot of it is BS, but it’s the world we live in. We’ve got that star on our helmet … It’s just hard to play defense.”
Parsons is essentially saying the officials have it out for him and the Cowboys – a quite serious charge.
Controversial calls on pass rushers are nothing new, but when they come in such close games with playoff implications underlining the contest, they are increasingly difficult to ignore. When one of the league’s premier pass rushers is somehow not held for more than half of the season, fuel is added to the fire.
“[The ref] said my intent was to punish the quarterback,” Parsons continued. “How am I trying to punish him if I’m just trying to sack him? It’s not like it was a late hit. It’s not like I’m leaving my feet. I didn’t lead with my head. I don’t know how you make that call.”
It’s often a loser’s lament to blame the referees for a team’s downfalls, and the Cowboys certainly still could have won. But that doesn’t take away from Parsons having a right to complain on Sunday.
Indeed, at the night went on, Parsons took another stab at it, posting on social media, “Whatever I did to the officials, I’m sorry!”
The Week 16 loss extended Dallas’ losing streak to two and put a dent in its hopes of hosting a playoff game. A Saturday date with the Detroit Lions in Week 17 won’t make things any easier.
The referees didn’t define this game, but becoming an impossible-to-ignore element of NFL football isn’t good for anybody. The league, and its officials, must be better.