5 takeaways from Raiders’ loss to Cowboys in Week 15
By John Buhler
![OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 17: Khalil Mack No. 52 of the Oakland Raiders sacks Dak Prescott No. 4 of the Dallas Cowboys during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 17: Khalil Mack No. 52 of the Oakland Raiders sacks Dak Prescott No. 4 of the Dallas Cowboys during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fjustblogbaby-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F12-2F894491382-dallas-cowboys-v-oakland-raiders-jpg-850x560-6525fb7e589632c57158df98edf21910cfb9ec68bad80e2f47ab19f757c9458c.jpg)
The NFL has some explaining to do about paper.
The Raiders fell victim to arguably the worst call of the season. Normally I’m not one to rip on officiating, as I believe that you need to win the game soundly without their involvement. However, IndexCardGate was a complete botch job by Gene Steratore and everybody knows it, including joyous Cowboys fans.
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When it comes to those too close to call plays, one would think you’d have a better method of determining if something was a first down than a folded piece of paper. No, this is the NFL world we live in and that was just an embarrassing effort by the officials. Obviously, all fans want the calls to be right, but what made pulling out a school supply all willy nilly an acceptable way of making the hardest call on Sunday Night Football?
Was the fold necessary? Are we sure that the first-down maker was perpendicular to the Coliseum turf? Was there air between the nose of the football and the last link of the chain? These are all questions that Raiders fans will sink their teeth into this offseason. Like this was Fail Mary bad and that call was with replacement officials.
Of course, the Raiders could have held the Cowboys out of the end zone, but that would have been too hard. This was the third “are you kidding me?” call of the day for the NFL. No, that should not have been a touchdown for the Carolina Panthers because but cheeks straddled the end line and him the turf simultaneously.
Next: A folded piece of paper! 'C'mon, man!'
To pull that touchdown off the board for the Pittsburgh Steelers was way too nit-picky. Then, whatever the heck that folded piece of paper nonsense was in Oakland. Get it together, NFL officials. My goodness.