Brian Schottenheimer admits Dallas Cowboys caught a lucky break from NFL officiating during win over Jets
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets both were sort of winners from an odd play in Week 5 that the officials got wrong.
An odd play happened early during the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 5 win over the New York Jets when a pass attempt from Justin Fields hit a sky cam on third and goal from the six-yard line.
At first glance, it looked like the Jets had gotten lucky. The ball hit Cowboys DE Dante Fowler Jr. right in the facemask and bounced upward and DT Kenny Clark appeared to be in position to pick it off and maybe even get a big gain. Upon further review, however, it turns out it was the Cowboys who got lucky. Even head coach Brian Schottenheimer admitted it Monday.
“They should’ve replayed the down,” Schottenheimer told reporters.
NFL rules indicate if a football hits the sky cam, the down must be replayed. It’s a rare situation so it’s at least understandable the officials got it wrong, but they did take the Jets’ opportunity for another third and goal. If anything, I’m surprised Jets head coach Aaron Glenn wasn’t on the officials’ ears after the play.
Instead, the Jets faced fourth and goal and settled for three, taking the lead 3-0 after a 66-yard drive that wiped over seven minutes off the clock. Perhaps the game would’ve gone differently had they gotten a touchdown in that opening drive.
“I had seen the scoreboard you hit with the punt but I’ve never seen that,” said Schottenheimer about the play.
Official NFL rule wording on football hitting sky cam
- “If a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot.”
- “In the event the down is replayed, the game clock will be reset to the time remaining when the snap occurred, and the clock will start on the snap.”
Kenny Clark believes he could’ve taken the ball for a touchdown
If you ask Clark, it’s the Jets who got lucky as he believes he would’ve scored his first pick-six.
“That was going to be my first [interception] and my first touchdown,” Clark told reporters with a big smile. “Yeah, that was a crazy play. I thought I lost it in the sun. I thought I overran it or something, but I knew I was tracking the ball well.”
Schottenheimer and Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus? Not so sure Clark is correct.
“The biggest question was, was Kenny going to catch it?” Schottenheimer said. “He said he was, so then (Eberflus) had a great comeback question. ‘Okay, are you going to make Justin Fields miss?’ And he was less committal on that.”
We’ll never know what would’ve happened if Clark picked it off or if the Jets had gotten one more shot on third and goal. That’s football, man. For now, the Cowboys DT wants the league to raise the sky cams.
“They’re going to have to do something, that was like the second play they said that the camera had affected the ball,” Clark added.
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