Fans Caught Throwing Objects at Refs on Video After Cowboys’ Loss to 49ers
January 17, 2022
Dallas Cowboys fans were not happy following Sunday's 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Game, and some of them responded by throwing objects at the officials as they left the field.
One of the objects hit DeMarcus Lawrence, but the defensive end made it clear he was not the intended target.
"That s--t was aimed at the refs," he told reporters. "... It had nothing to do with me."
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also weighed in on the situation:
Michael Gehlken @GehlkenNFLCowboys QB Dak Prescott: “The fans felt the same way as us. I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast. I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out.” <a href="https://t.co/39p4x4itkE">https://t.co/39p4x4itkE</a> <a href="https://t.co/bj1nHCuIfu">pic.twitter.com/bj1nHCuIfu</a>
While it doesn't excuse throwing things onto the field, it is not exactly surprising Cowboys fans were upset with the officials following one of the most bizarre endings in recent NFL history.
Dallas had the ball down six with no timeouts remaining and 14 seconds left in the game when quarterback Dak Prescott took off on a designed run. He was tackled in bounds and then hustled to spike the ball to get one more chance at a touchdown only to see the clock expire after the official who was trailing the play ran him over while trying to catch up.
There was plenty of confusion in the aftermath of the play, but the officials decided the game was over before the Cowboys had a chance at a final snap.
Still, it was difficult to blame the refs for the entire game considering the offense managed just 17 points with 10 coming in the fourth quarter. San Francisco also gave the Cowboys multiple additional chances with a roughing-the-punter penalty and a failure to stop a fake punt, and the home team still struggled to put points up on the board.
The play call was also questionable at best considering the Cowboys didn't have any timeouts and would have had just one more play even if they were able to spike the ball.
They would have been much better off running a passing play toward the sidelines or even trying a deep ball to the end zone than doing what they did.
Alas, the fans were still furious after the game, and the confusion that came from the official running over Prescott in an effort to spot the ball didn't help. That led to a few angry fans throwing trash on the field in a regrettable scene.