Jerry Jones likens Cowboys' blocked punt to — having cake stolen?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was not happy after his Cowboys were blown out at home by the lowly Denver Broncos, losing 30-16 to a previously sub-.500 team.

The Cowboys scored on just two garbage-time touchdowns, and Dallas failed to even enter the red zone prior to the fourth quarter. But Jones’ frustration was rooted in more than just the loss alone; after the loss, he was visibly irked by a rare call in which the referees extended a Broncos’ drive on fourth down.

The Broncos held a 16-0 lead after halftime, and on their first drive of the second half, the Cowboys forced a critical three-and-out. The defensive stand could very well have been a turning point for Jones’ Cowboys, but the ensuing punt on fourth-and-14 gave way to a never-before-seen ruling: Sam Martin’s punt was blocked, and Dallas cornerback Nahshon Wright tried to recover the bouncing ball. However, it ricocheted off his hands and was recovered by Denver’s Jonas Griffith. Because Wright touched the ball past the line of scrimmage, his inability to secure the ball was labeled a muffed punt return, giving the Broncos a first down and extending their drive.

The Broncos catch a huge break.

Their punt was blocked by the Cowboys, but the Cowboys touched the ball again after it went past the line of scrimmage before the Broncos recovered.

That resulted in a first down for the Broncos- and that's how today is going for Dallas. pic.twitter.com/pIGZq0pRCL

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 7, 2021

Ten plays and 72 yards later, the Broncos ended that drive with a field goal. Jones, irked by the referees’ decision, gave a all-time answer when describing the play.

“It’s like putting the cake out in front of you, and letting you put your finger in the icing and then turn around and taking [the cake],” Jones said of the play.

After winning the first half, that second-half field goal — made possible by the bizarre ruling — swung momentum in the Broncos’ direction, where it remained for the duration of the contest.

Jerry Jones gives harsh assessment of Dallas Cowboys’ loss

Jones was annoyed with the call on that blocked punt. But of course, he was frustrated with the game’s final score, too, going so far as to label the performance “inexplicable.”

“I thought they had a good plan against Dak [Prescott] and executed it well. We needed some plays to happen,” Jones said. “Certainly it’s inexplicable. … They played an outstanding football game against what we think is a good football team, and that’s the Dallas Cowboys.”

The Cowboys ended up losing 30-16. Despite having star quarterback Dak Prescott back from injury, Dallas showed no fight in the game Sunday, scoring all 16 of their points — both off passing touchdowns to wide receiver Malik Turner — in the fourth quarter. Prescott completed 19 of his 39 passing attempts for 232 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

With the loss, the Cowboys — previously on a record-setting streak — had it snapped on Sunday. They entered the game with eight consecutive home games scoring at least 35 points with Prescott as their starting quarterback, the longest such streak in NFL history between a franchise and any quarterback. The Broncos held the Cowboys scoreless until the fourth quarter and even then, the Cowboys garbage-time touchdowns hardly meant anything, as the game was far out of reach.