The Dallas Cowboys pulled off the biggest win of their season on Thursday night, ending the New Orleans Saints' 10-game winning streak with a 13-10 victory at home.
While the Cowboys defense played great, the play that got the most attention was a bad one — a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit from Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith on Saints running back Alvin Kamara.
The hit looked like the textbook definition of what the NFL had attempted to deter with the now-infamous "Helmet Rule" that was implemented this season. Smith launches himself headfirst in his attempt to take Kamara down.
In college, the hit would likely merit an ejection, but on Thursday night, the officials working the game didn't even throw a flag on the play.
On the broadcast, commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman acknowledged that it should have been an easy call to make. Rules expert and former NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira called Smith's shot a "clear example of leading with the helmet."
After Kamara got up, he was seen smelling salts on the sidelines to come back from his daze. Shortly after,
On Twitter, voices from around the NFL world criticized both the officials working the game and the league itself for the clearly missed call on the violent hit.
After the game, Kamara downplayed the event. When asked if he expected a flag on the play, Kamara told reporters "It is what it is. It don't matter what I was expecting."
Through the preseason, there was concern from many football fans that between the new helmet rules and the league's focus on protecting the quarterback, games would be suffocated by over-officiating.
But shots like Smith's show that there are still moments when officials seem more than willing to keep their flags in their pockets after a devastating hit.
NOW WATCH: Inside an intense training session where aspiring WWE wrestlers learn how to fight
See Also:
- Seahawks running back front flips while hurdling a defender, lands on his feet, and continues running in one of the coolest highlights of the NFL season
- Browns cornerback intercepts the Bengals, hands the ball to ex-head coach Hue Jackson after play
- Bills rookie Josh Allen showed off his insane arm with a 75-yard touchdown
SEE ALSO: NFL WEEK 13: Our official predictions for who wins this weekend