From missed opportunities in the red zone or botched kicking attempts, Sunday's action in Week 7 produced wild finishes, including the Dallas Cowboys' 20-17 loss to the Washington Redskins.
The Cowboys lined up to attempt a potential 47-yard game-tying kick with three seconds remaining in the game, but long snapper L.P. LaDouceur was flagged for a false start. The 5-yard penalty made it a 52-yard attempt, resulting in kicker Brett Maher hitting the left upright as time expired.
After the game, LaDouceur, who is in his 14th season, was left in bewilderment that he drew an infraction for something he has done his entire career as part of his pre-snap routine.
"Never had that before," LaDouceur said, via the Cowboys' official website. "I do the exact same thing every time, so when that happens, that's what I was telling the ref, 'I do the exact same thing.'"
The veteran long snapper said he attempted to position the ball, which was on the ground, to his comfort level before snapping. LaDouceur added his understanding of the rule is he is allowed to adjust the ball as long as it isn't picked up off the ground.
Nevertheless, the official on the field didn't see the play the same way LaDouceur did. And Al Riveron, the league's senior vice of president of officiating, backed up the call, categorizing LaDouceur's actions as "illegal ball movement" on Twitter with a video replay.
"I just adjust it down so I can put my hands on the bottom of it so I can snap it in the right direction," LaDouceur said. "The exact same thing I've been doing for 14 years."
Ultimately, the penalty resulted in a longer field goal attempt.
Maher, however, refused to place the blame on his miss on the infraction, pointing out he pulled it and the elements of the outdoor stadium might have contributed.
"That penalty had zero impact on the result of that kick, I can promise you that," Maher said. "L.P. and [holder] Chris [Jones], like they've done all year, they made my job easy, and it was the same in that situation. I felt like I was very capable of making that kick, just didn't get it done."
The loss dropped the Cowboys to a 3-4 record and a tie with the Philadelphia Eagles for second place in the NFC East. The Redskins improved to 4-2 and currently sit in first place in the division.
