"I played the game, they didn't" - Cowboys player begs fans to spare his family from abuse

Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys were defeated by a score of 23-17 by the rival San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round of the NFC playoffs. There was a lot of blame in place for the loss with it all just being a matter of who you ask.

But Dallas defensive lineman Neville Gallimore has bravely stepped to the front of the line to take the blame for the loss and ask that fans leave his family out of it.

Late in the game, the 49ers were faced with a third and long which they did not get. However, Gallimore committed an inadvertent penalty (hands to the face to 49ers center Alex Mack) which gave San Francisco a fresh set of downs. The drive continued and it helped to take a significant amount of time off the clock in the fourth quarter.

Here's what Gallimore requested of the Cowboys fanbase following the team's playoff exit:

"I deserve all the hate and slander. Cowboys nation, I let y’all down. Put it all on me, all I ask is you leave my family out of this. I played the game, they didn’t.”

As with all games, the result never rests solely on one person, so it is admirable for Gallimore to take the blame for the loss. However, Dallas played from behind for the entire game, which is certainly not the fault of Gallimore.

The 49ers lead from wire-to-wire and there was much blame to go around for the loss on both sides of the ball.

The Cowboys lose to the 49ers in epic fashion in the NFC Wild Card game

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott walks off the field following loss to San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card game

The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2021-2022 NFL season with a healthy Dak Prescott (from last year's season-ending dislocated ankle) and a defense led by rookie linebacker Micah Parsons. The season fell at least 24 yards short of expectations yesterday, as Dallas lost 23-17 to the 49ers.

In the fourth quarter, the score was 23-10, until San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception while driving in Cowboys territory. At this point, Cowboys fans might have felt the momentum shift as Dallas eventually scored to make it 23-17.

Later on in the final quarter the 49ers were forced to punt after a fourth-and-inches conversion was negated by a penalty. The Cowboys had one last drive to try and score with no timeouts. The team drove down the field with several passes that were completed and the clock stopped once the players ran out of bounds.

Then came the final 17-yard scamper by Prescott. The quarterback got to the 24-yard line of the 49ers and he attempted to get the team to rush to the line of scrimmage to spike the football.

However, umpire Ramon George, while trying his absolute best to spot the football, bumped into Prescott as time continued to trickle down.

Prescott handed the ball directly to his center, which is a violation of the rules. It is the job of the official (George in this case) to spot the ball, as a result of the mix-up the time expired on the clock and now Dallas finds itself out of the NFL playoffs.