Did Refs Cheat Washington out of Chance to Beat Dallas in Regulation on MNF?

On Monday night, the underdog Washington Redskins came into Dallas and found a way to take the 6-1 Cowboys into overtime and win.

However, the Redskins might have been able to seal the victory before the end of regulation had the on-field officials flagged Dallas for holding on the Cowboys' final drive.

With just under a minute remaining and with Dallas on its own 5-yard line, quarterback Tony Romo dropped back into the end zone to deliver a pass.

The play resulted in an 18-yard pass to Terrance Williams and a Cowboys first down. 

However, just before Romo delivered the pass, left tackle Tyron Smith appeared to arm hook linebacker Trent Murphy and spin him away from Romo.

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Should have been a safety: pic.twitter.com/SewUGmLuID

— Cian O'Fathaigh (@Cianaf) October 28, 2014"

The move may have prevented a sack. Had a hold been called in the end zone, however, it would have resulted in a safety, then most likely an earlier Washington victory (Dallas would face a two-point deficit and a safety punt).

After closely examining the play, there is little question that Smith did indeed hook Murphy under the arm, which, by definition, is a hold. Therefore, a flag should have been thrown.

The real question is whether or not the hold began before the two engaged players entered the end zone. 

According to the NFL's official rule book:

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All fouls committed by offensive team behind the line of scrimmage (except in the end zone) shall be penalized from the previous spot. If the foul is in the end zone, it is a safety.

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Therefore, if Smith's hold began before he stepped into the end zone, the penalty would have been enforced at the 5-yard line. In this case, Dallas would be moved back half the distance to the goal and the down would have been repeated.

However, if the hold didn't begin until Smith was already in the end zone, then the penalty would have resulted in a safety.

Judging from the replay, it appears that Smith engaged his block outside of the end zone, though it does appear that his foot was on the goal line when he begins to hook Murphy. Murphy, however, is still on the half-yard line. 

This likely means that the end result would have depended on the vantage point of the official making the call (feel free to judge for yourself).

In the end, the no-call in question didn't matter, as Washington kicked a field goal and shut down the Cowboys offense in overtime to secure a 20-17 victory. Had the team not won, however, you can be sure that this particular play would remain heavily questioned.