Raiders, Cowboys differ on validity of penalties

ARLINGTON, Texas — Safe to accidental the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys person a differing sentiment connected each the penalties that were called successful their thrilling Thanksgiving Day matchup. Well, astatine slightest immoderate of them.

The Raiders prevailed 36-33 connected Daniel Carlson’s 29-yard tract extremity successful overtime. The footwear capped a crippled successful which the teams combined for 28 penalties — 14 each — accounting for 276 yards. The full punishment yards were the 14th-most successful NFL history, the astir since the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears combined for 292 yards successful 2018.

The 166 punishment yards for the Cowboys was a franchise record. Of them, 110 came connected 3rd down alone.

“The numbers are absurd,” said Cowboys manager Mike McCarthy. “I don’t truly cognize what the hellhole you privation maine to say.”

Said Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup: “It’s pugnacious particularly successful our location stadium. I mean, we’re playing 2 teams. We’re playing the refs and the different team.”

Of those penalties, Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown accounted for four. Each emblem was for walk interference, and each 4 came connected 3rd downs to springiness the Raiders a caller acceptable of downs.

The astir egregious came successful overtime to assistance acceptable up Carlson’s game-winner. With the Raiders facing a 3rd and 18 astatine their ain 43, Derek Carr flung a heavy shot to Zay Jones, who had gotten down Brown. As the shot descended toward Jones, Brown made assemblage interaction with Jones with his backmost to the play. Brown and Jones were entangled erstwhile the shot bounced disconnected Brown’s helmet. A adjacent authoritative instantly threw the emblem to acceptable up the Raiders astatine the Cowboys’ 23-yard line.

And therein lies the quality of opinions betwixt the clubs.

From the Raiders’ perspective, the matchups featuring Jones and chap speedster DeSean Jackson against the Cowboys’ secondary were favorable. From the archetypal thrust of the game, they understood chances were bully they could implicit agelong passes against them oregon unit walk interference calls.

Once Jackson dragged Jourdan Lewis crossed the tract connected a 56-yard touchdown hookup with Carr connected the 3rd play of the game, attacking the Cowboys with the heavy shot became a substance of strategy. The much the Cowboys had to usage their hands and bodies to dilatory down Jackson and Jones, the much the Raiders kept taking heavy shots.

“We kept saying, they are holding,” said backmost Derek Carr. “If they don’t clasp us, we consciousness similar we are going to deed those plays.”

That didn’t beryllium good with the Cowboys, including proprietor Jerry Jones.

“I telephone it ‘throw up ball,’” Jones said. From his perspective, that maneuver played excessively large of a relation successful a highly anticipated game.

“This volition arguably beryllium the most-watched crippled different than the Super Bowl,” Jones said. “I hatred that it got down to conscionable throwing the shot up and getting the penalties to get you large plays.”

Again, though, for the Raiders, it was bully dependable shot attacking players who evidently had trouble keeping up with their fastest players.

“The penalties evidently helped,” Carr said. “And they were morganatic things that happened.”

As the crippled wore on, Brown became the unfortunate go-to onslaught target, including a propulsion to Jackson successful the Cowboys’ extremity portion connected a third-and-six play that resulted successful a walk interference.

That acceptable up Josh Jacobs’ 1-yard touchdown tally to springiness the Raiders a 14-6 lead.

Ironically, Brown complained the slightest astir the calls.

“It’s conscionable 1 of them days,” helium said. “I’ve conscionable got to ticker the film, spot what we tin amended and get better. I consciousness similar I was successful presumption for each of them. I’ll conscionable effort to crook my head.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore astatine vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore connected Twitter