The Dallas Cowboys caught a bad break early in their Week 12 game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and it proved to be costly.
The Cowboys were trailing 7-0 midway through the first quarter at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, when they forced a much-needed three-and-out. The Eagles punted on 4th-and-10, but they were awarded a first down when Dallas linebacker Marist Liafau was called for roughing the kicker.
Replays appeared to show that Liafau got a piece of the kick, which means he should not have been called for roughing. The Cowboys could have challenged the call but did not.
Roughing the kicker was called on the Cowboys despite replay appearing to show that Dallas got a hand on the ball. pic.twitter.com/zX1rQ8mhbT
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 23, 2025
Liafau motioned to let the officiating crew that he tipped the punt. You would think the Dallas coaching staff would have challenged the call after Liafau said that, but they did not.
The Eagles wound up scoring a touchdown on the drive to take a 14-0 lead, so the call represented a massive shift in the game. You can understand why the officiating crew was unable to see the tip in real time, but the Cowboys blew a huge opportunity by not challenging.
