3 Cowboys mistakes that ended their season vs. the 49ers

Jan 16, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) sits on the bench after being defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) sits on the bench after being defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cowboys, Mike McCarthy
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 02: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on from the sideline during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2. Pre-Snap Penalties Haunt The Cowboys

The Cowboys played with such little discipline on Sunday, and it was a big reason why they lost. You cannot commit 14 penalties and expect to win.

The ones that hurt the most are the dumb pre-snap penalties. The Cowboys had seven pre-snap penalties including three neutral-zone infractions, two false starts, a delay of game, and an illegal shift. I have never seen a team with more mental mistakes in such a big game.

The 14 penalties I previously mentioned tied the most ever for a Cowboys team in a playoff game. But, it should not be surprising the Cowboys got penalized so much as they led the NFL in penalties committed this season.

Here is another example of how brutal of a showing this was by Dallas,

The Cowboys’ sloppy play was why they led the league in penalties. But, to me, there is no excuse for pre-snap penalties other than being undisciplined. The defensive line kept trying to jump the snap on Sunday and instead they jumped offside.

But, the dumbest penalty of the game was probably after the Cowboys’ successful fake punt. McCarthy decided to leave the special teams unit on the field to try and get the 49ers to waste a timeout.

It was a total disaster. The Cowboys actually considered running a play with their long-snapper at center, and linebackers at offensive tackles. What on earth was going on?! The most pre-snap motion we saw all game was by punter Bryan Anger and whatever he was doing on this play.

Once again, this was coaching ignorance, and it led to a Cowboys delay of game penalty. I could not be more disappointed in this showing from the Cowboys. They did not even show up for this game. The fact that they even had a chance at the given all the penalties was incredible.