There were several controversial calls in Sunday’s thrilling game between the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, and Ezekiel Elliott apparently felt none of them worked in his team’s favor.
Following the Cowboys’ 35-29 OT win over New England, both Elliott and Dallas pass-rusher Randy Gregory were critical of the officials. Elliott said the Cowboys felt like they had to “overcome the Patriots and the zebras.”
Ezekiel Elliott: “There’s no excuse for that. That’s ridiculous the way they called that game. … We were able to overcome the Patriots and the zebras.”
Randy Gregory: “I thought it was a poorly called game by the refs, if I want to be honest. But you got to fight through it.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 18, 2021
There was one play in particular that likely infuriated Elliott. Dak Prescott made a crucial fourth-down mistake when he lost a fumble at the goal line late in the first half (video here), but it looked like the quarterback clearly got into the end zone on a sneak the play before. The third down play was not reviewed.
The Cowboys also had some big plays negated by holding calls. They had 12 penalties for 115 yards compared to New England’s five for 47 yards. Dallas did, however, appear to get away with a blatant face mask penalty on a key play in overtime.
It looks like Anthony Brown got away with a facemask penalty on Nelson Agholor😬😬 pic.twitter.com/Lm1N9s6A4Z
— National Football Post (@FootballPost) October 17, 2021
It’s a good sign that the Cowboys overcame 12 penalties to beat a tough opponent on the road. And complaining about the officiating after a win carries a lot more weight. We saw an NFL coach do the same following his team’s OT win on Sunday.
Elliott and the Cowboys feel like they can beat anyone right now — even the zebras.
