Officiating in the NFL has come a long way since the league introduced the coach’s challenge years ago and, more recently, incorporated replay assist. Still, mistakes happen, and one high-profile and potentially game-changing mistake happened during this week’s matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
In the second quarter of the game, Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy made contact with Eagles punter Braden Mann’s plant leg while trying to block the kick.
That led to a 15-yard roughing-the-punter penalty against Dallas, handing Philadelphia an automatic first down. The Eagles took advantage with a touchdown on the same drive, extending their lead to 14-0.
The problem, though, is that the call wasn’t correct, and the league has since acknowledged that Dallas should never have been flagged for the penalty.
Replay footage shows that Flournoy clearly deflected the ball before colliding with Mann, which should nullify a roughing-the-punter infraction. After the game, the NFL even admitted the mistake.
Roughing the kicker was called on the Cowboys despite replay appearing to show that Dallas got a hand on the ball. pic.twitter.com/zX1rQ8mhbT
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 23, 2025
Mark Butterworth, the NFL’s vice president of instant replay, explained to reporters that replay assist can overturn a roughing-the-punter ruling when there is definitive evidence that the ball was touched before the punter is hit. However, Butterworth said officials didn’t have a “clear enough angle” in time to correct the decision.
“We can use replay assist to pick up the flag when we have clear and obvious video evidence that the player that committed the foul touched the ball prior to making contact with the punter,” Butterworth said in a pool report via Awful Announcing.
“TV showed an enhanced shot, which they can do. We don’t have access to that enhanced shot until they show it. By then, it was too late,” he added.
Needless to say, this led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“Wait so now we are waiting for the network directors to decide what replays get shown instead of the NFL having the angles in NY? That just sounds like a horrible setup with today’s gambling world,” one fan wrote in a post on X.
“Ball don’t lie and that’s why the Cowboys won,” someone else added.
“Player was yelling at his coach he touched it and it wasn’t challenged,” another fan added.
“That was a painful call. It opened things up for the Eagles,” someone else said.
“Eagles get help from the refs again,” another person added.
While the Cowboys ultimately staged a dramatic comeback to win the game, the blown call was still a notable officiating lapse — one that should have been avoided.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.