I decided to look at each of the instances you point out and give my take on them. I pride myself in being objective as a newspaper editor, so here's what I've got.
1) 3rd and 6, 7:32 left in 1st quarter, WAS ball. Crowder gets away with blatant offensive PI. Shoves Byron back a couple of yards before the ball is ever released as Cousins had to roll out to avoid pressure. Reed is wide open and gets the first down.
Although I don't like the pick play, it is legal if it isn't clear that the receiver went out of his way to block. Crowder did not go out of his way to block as he appeared to only be releasing upfield on an inside route, but he did extend his arms into Jones. It probably should have been called because of that, but I think it's in a bit of a gray area. I've seen lesser ones called and worse ones not called.
Aikman called it a "natural pick." Because of Crowder extending his arms, I don't think it was quite as natural as it should have been, but I don't feel that it was blatant either.
2) Next play they call a hold on Scandrick that was iffy at best.
Scandrick grabbed Garcon and prevented him from coming back for the ball. I think you have to call that one.
3) 3rd and 15, 3:30 to go in first quarter, miss a bad defensive PI on Breeland to Butler that would have gained the offense 27 yards.
Breeland grabbed Butler's arms. Butler pushed Breeland away. I agree that this should have been called pass interference, but this is one of those cases I've mentioned where I think officials are calling it less when there is pushing done by each player.
If officials were consistently calling this pass interference this year and didn't call this one, I'd feel differently, but I've seen our guys and other teams' guys consistently get away with this.
I'm not saying it shouldn't have been called because Breeland impeded Butler, but it fits the type of contact officials have been ignoring the past couple of years.
4) :06 left in first quarter, Reed sets another illegal pic which allows Vernon Davis to get wide open and pick up 22 yards.
Reed ran a route straight up the field and turned for the ball in Lee's path. Yes, it was a pick, but there was nothing illegal about it. He did not turn and block Lee. He did not veer into Lee. He simply got to a space ahead of Lee and occupied it.
5) 11:59 in second quarter. Dez catches a pass on Norman and Norman proceeds to step on Bryant's hand. The ref is looking right at Norman, about 3-yards away from him.
Had trouble finding this play because it actually happened near the 14-minute mark, if this is the same play. After Dez caught the ball, Norman kind of took a strange kick-poke at it with his foot with Dez on the ground. It wasn't an overt move and it wasn't like he stomped on his hand, so I can't see any reason for a penalty to be called.
6) 4:50 left in 2nd quarter. Playclock was at 0 when the ball was snapped.
The ball was snapped right after the play clock struck zero. It was pretty close.
7) 3:44 left in 2nd quarter, Dak beautifully bootlegs and throws to Beasley who is again, clear as day, face masked by Breeland.
Probably the worst blown call of the game. Breeland not only grabbed the mask, but pulled Beasley by it, then slapped him in the head for good measure. I love how Breeland looked around clearly expecting the flag that should have been thrown.
8) 1:31 left in 2nd quarter, T. Crawford beats Morgan Moses badly and holds him to prevent the sack.
It probably was a hold because Crawford was past Moses and Moses had his arm around him, but Crawford was not impeded much by it. I don't think that one's going to be called often simply because it didn't seem to affect the play. If Moses had jerked Crawford back, then it would have deserved to be called.
9) 1:04 left in 2nd quarter, Ryan Davis beats the LT and is put in a sleeper hold with no call.
Agree completely. Davis had beaten the left tackle who wrapped an arm around his neck to keep him from getting to Cousins. If they are going to call Smith for a similar move, they needed to call this one.
10) 4:58 left in 3rd quarter. T. Crawford beats Morgan Moses and Moses tackles him from behind to the ground.
Also agree completely on this one. Crawford was completely past Moses and headed toward Cousins when he was jerked back, looked like by the collar, and stopped. This one should not have been missed because it was so obvious.
11) 11:39 left in 4th quarter. Norman gets beat by Dez and twists his ankle after the play was dead.
Yes, I can't understand how you don't call a personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct on this one. The play was clearly over, Bryant was down and Norman treats his leg like a rag doll. Maybe the officials just considered it his reaction to getting beat, but that's not a good excuse.
12) 7:24 left in the 4th quarter, EE's TD run is negated by a bogus holding call on Mayle. What's even worse is 4 referees called the hold on Mayle, I guess not understanding that pancake blocks are not holds. [/QUOTE]
I'm not sure why our fans don't see that as a hold. Mayle was pulling on Whitner's shoulder pads as Whitner was trying to pull away and make the tackle. Every official saw that and it affected the play.
Is the argument that Mayle had the inside of the shoulder pads instead of outside? He was clearly tugging and impeding and was not doing it with just his blocking. Four flags flew for this because it was obvious.
13) 7:12 left in 4th quarter. Personally I don't think this should be a penalty, but the rule book states pretty clearly and Mason Foster picked up Dunbar and slammed him to the ground.
The officials overinterpreted this rule, adding in an element where the defender had to "slam the player into the ground on his head." By rule, it should have been a penalty, as Mike Pereira said, because he lifted and slammed Dunbar.
14) 6:30 left in 4th quarter, looks like Baker (I think it was him) is well offsides. Didn't matter because EE ran for a TD anyway.
Baker clearly jumped the snap and should have been flagged for it.
So I've got six to eight that either should have been called or called differently.
Please understand that I did not do this with the intent of contradicting you, but only to try to give my assessment of the plays that you pointed out. I do think the Commanders benefited more in this game than Dallas from blown calls, but it was not be a vast amount as shown by some of the calls (around five) I mentioned earlier that Washington did not get.
