ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could have personally blindfolded each player during pregame Sunday, and it might not have been worse. The Eagles were winning that game in a rout.
But another instance of the sun causing a missed catch at a curtain-less AT&T Stadium caused another round of tunnel interview drama. Jones, in his usual postgame media scrum, was asked about the problems with the sun shining in his players' eyes. And yet again, he fired back.
"Well let's tear the damn stadium down and build another one," Jones told reporters. "Everybody has got the same thing. Every team that comes in here has the same issues."
So don't expect those curtains anytime soon.
In any case, Jones is right in that both teams face the same dilemma in late-afternoon games in Arlington. Either the quarterbacks are throwing into the sun, or the receivers are trying to catch passes while shielding their eyes.
But it's the Cowboys' mishaps that get remembered, not those of their opponents.
Here are five notable instances of the sun playing defense at AT&T Stadium:
2017: Dez Bryant and Brice Butler
Dez Bryant and Brice Butler both blamed missed catches in a 2017 game against the Chiefs on the sun's glare.
Bryant told reporters afterward: "The sun really is that big a deal. I was going across as I was going up. The ball caught the light and I lost it a little bit. I told coach, 'Hey man there's nothing I can do about that one.' These fans can go to hell today."
2021: Cedrick Wilson
In the 2021 postseason, when Dallas took on the San Francisco 49ers at home for the NFC wild-card, Dak Prescott threw a pass to receiver Cedrick Wilson, who did nothing. The ball sailed right past him, and Wilson didn't even stick his hands out.
Why? The sun.
Wilson was directly in one of the infamous spots where he couldn't have seen the ball if he tried. If Wilson had caught the pass, Dallas would have been in field goal range.
Instead, they got a turnover. The Cowboys went on to lose that game 23-17.
2022: Michael Gallup
Michael Gallup against the Eagles in 2022 dropped a would-be touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone, losing the ball in the sun. Jones in his weekly interview with 105.3 The Fan dismissed the problem, as he did this past Sunday, saying both teams have to deal with the sun glare.
2024: CeeDee Lamb
Lamb ran across the end zone against the Eagles, wide-open. The pass was released, and Lamb...just missed it?
Lamb doesn't often miss wide-open, well-placed passes, but this time was different. This time, the Eagles had some extra help from over 92 million miles away. The sun caused Lamb to miss, clear as day.
When asked about the play, Lamb said he "couldn't see the ball" and cited the sun as the culprit, or more aptly, the lack of curtains in AT&T Stadium. The stadium has used curtains in the past to shield concerts and other events from the blinding setting, but never for a Cowboys game.
A reporter asked Lamb if he'd be supportive of curtains going up during games.
"Yes, 1,000%."
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