"Cowboys got robbed," "Boycott the league": NFL fans rip referees over controversial OPI call on Jake Ferguson vs. Lions

The Dallas Cowboys lost 44-30 at the Detroit Lions on Thursday, ending their three-win streak. However, one sequence from that game drew immediate controversy.

With under four minutes left to play in the fourth quarter, tight end Jake Ferguson tried to break free from Alex Anzalone during a pass play. He failed to make the catch, but it was the least of his worries.

He was flagged for offensive pas interference - a call that fans joined rules analyst Terry McAulay and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Chase Daniel in disagreeing with:

Bill

@Bill21766155470

@MusketeeronX Honest NFL Referees! Cowboys got robbed tonight.

BR

@itsBornReady

The @NFL should be ashamed of themselves for allowing referees to continuously make bad calls that change the outcome of games. The Cowboys got absolutely ROBBED tonight right in front of our eyes…. We as fans honestly need to completely boycott the league & stop watching games

Tucker Erwin

@CTuckerErwin

I’m a Cowboys fan and that was still something I’ll admit was highway robbery… It’s still funny tho lol 😂

Bochy’s Dementia Medication

@bochysdementia

@AllAshworth Man this game was 100% rigged for the Lions. The officiating was horrendous tonight. OPI on Ferg and he didn’t even touch the guy. 0 holding calls on the lions. Yeah it was 100% rigged

AutonomousEV

@autonomous_ev

Refs had Lions -3.5. Horrible OPI call for the Dallas Cowboys. NFL is rigged.

T J

@TJ07909194

The cowboys literally got robbed this game the NFL clearly needs investigating as overall fair football fan no bias here. There is no way you call an OPI on Ferguson in that situation when that clearly was a regular football swim move. If anything that was clearly DPI…

Ferguson finished the game with five catches for 58 yards. He also nabbed a crucial two-point conversion in the fourth quarter that reduced the Cowboys' gap to three.

Dak Prescott completed 31 of 47 attempts for 376 yards and a touchdown to Ryan Flournoy, but he was also intercepted twice. Javonte Williams rushed 12 times for 67 yards and a touchdown.

For the Lions, Jared Goff completed 25 of 34 attempts for 309 yards and a touchdown to rookie Isaac TeSlaa. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery did the most offensive damage, carrying the ball a combined 18 times for 103 yards and four touchdowns.

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Brian Schottenheimer, Dak Prescott address Cowboys’ loss at Lions

After the game, coach Brian Schottenheimer shared his thoughts on the loss. He commended the Lions’ offense for completing explosive plays, which he believed his defense allowed too many of.

Beyond that, he also lamented the porousness of the special teams when it came to containing kick and punt returns:

“We certainly didn’t cover very well. I thought that kind of flipped the field, gave them a bunch of short fields, and we have to look at why that was. And we’ll do that, certainly an area for us to clean up.”

Nevertheless, he is not letting that defeat demoralize him or his players:

“Special group of guys. They’re not gonna let that happen. … We’ll pick ourselves up and go back to work.”

Dak Prescott, meanwhile, sent this warning:

“The guys are pissed off right now. … I think you’re gonna get a team that’s pissed. I hope it pisses people off the right way and we use it as fuel.”

The Cowboys will next return to Arlington against the Minnesota Vikings. That game kicks off at 7:20 pm CT on NBC.