Dak Prescott almost screwed up Dallas Cowboys’ coin toss against Los Angeles Rams
Update:
The Dallas Cowboys did indeed receive the kickoff to start the second half, although no explanation from the officials made its way to the press box during the halftime break.
The Dallas Cowboys have struggled on offense, defense and special teams in 2019.
Now add the coin toss.
After winning the coin toss Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, Dak Prescott told officials the Cowboys wanted to kickoff to start the game. If he didn’t use the word “defer,” that would give the Rams the ball to start the second half.
Prescott was seen on the sideline telling Cowboys’ coaches that he said “defer.” If he did, it might’ve come after he initially said he wanted to kick to start the game.
It remains unclear if Prescott eventually saying “defer” was confirmed by the officials or if it even matters after his initial response. On the official play-by-play website NFL GSIS, it shows Dallas deferred on the coin toss.
FOX NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira said the coin toss is not reviewable.
Al Riveron, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating, clarified the issue after the game. He said replay could be used to correct an administrative issue in a game such as downs or enforcements.
“So by rule, we can get involved,” he said. “This is a game administration issue, not a judgment call. And we have definite audio that refers to deferring.”
Riveron said the confusion was immediately obvious when crew chief Walt Anderson didn’t make it clear that he confirmed the Cowboys were deferring.
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 4:02 PM.
