The NFL looks foolish after Sunday night’s instant classic between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers ended in a tie. However, the Cowboys had the game won on multiple occasions.

We’ve noticed some criticism of Brian Schottenheimer for opting to kick a field goal in overtime rather than go for a touchdown, but it’s hard to blame him for taking points in a game where the defense once again couldn’t get a stop. That strategy almost worked flawlessly, as Matt LaFleur nearly had an all-time meltdown.

It’s easy to look back in hindsight, but LaFleur should’ve had an all-time meltdown. Not only did the Cowboys get screwed by the clock operator on Jordan Love’s desperate final pass attempt (as J.J. Watt noted on X), but head referee Ron Torbert missed a blatant illegal formation before Love took the snap. That would’ve resulted in a 10-second runoff, which would’ve ended the game.

Cowboys should’ve walked out of SNF with a win over the Packers

It must be reiterated that the Cowboys were in the driver’s seat on multiple occasions. Dak Prescott gave Dallas the lead on four separate occasions between the final minute of the third quarter and overtime, including with 40 seconds left in regulation after his second touchdown of the night to George Pickens. You can’t put all of the blame on the refs in a game that was there for the taking.

However, it is maddening that Torbert’s crew decided to hold their whistles on a night where they couldn’t help but litter AT&T Stadium with yellow laundry. The two teams combined for a whopping 18 penalties for 148 yards. Eleven of those were on the Cowboys for 95 yards.

What makes the non-call even more irritating is that they called a bogus illegal formation on Nate Thomas for “lining up in the backfield” on a 3rd-and-7 late in the second quarter that wiped out a 23-yard completion to KaVontae Turpin. Trailing 13-2 at the time, Dallas was forced to punt. Luckily, the defense got a step on the ensuing drive, but the game could’ve gotten out of hand because of that call.

While refs are likely instructed to let players decide the games, if Thomas’ penalty was grounds for illegal formation, the Packers should’ve been flagged for it with the game hanging in the balance. This formation looks pretty wonky, don’t you think?

This would be a much bigger talking point in the aftermath if Love’s final pass in the end zone landed in the arms of a Packers receiver. The clock operator then did Green Bay a huge favor by keeping one second on the clock, which just rubs salt in the wound. You’d think Dallas would get the benefit of home-field advantage in that situation, but Green Bay has a penchant for being lucky.

Again, though, the Cowboys had plenty of chances to win. One mistake from the refs is not the reason they left with a tie.