On a day that ended with disaster, even the bright spot was just another regret for the Cowboys.
Among the many decisions that Dallas would want back following its 23-17 loss to the 49ers, which ended with Dak Prescott’s ill-fated scramble, entailed the design of AT&T Stadium itself.
The billion-dollar Jerry World, while glamorous and capable of seating 100,000, apparently is incapable of doing what most domes do: blocking out the sun.
As the TV camera showed on a few occasions, the glaring, mid-day sun peeked through the famous hole in the roof, a tribute to Texas Stadium.
AT&T Stadium’s construction causes sun to peak through the roof.APIf AT&T stadium were constructed from north to south, the sun’s glare would not line up and burst through the roof.
Instead, the stadium’s construction allows for an influx of light, hindering play and making the fan experience irritating at times.
“Who spends over $1 billion on a stadium and builds it East-West?” CBS’ Boomer Esiason said during the halftime show.
Players were unable to see passes during Sunday’s game because of the sunlight.APIf the glare could be annoying to viewers, it was blinding to players. In one instance in the first half, Dallas receiver Cedrick Wilson’s route took him directly into the brightness, and he looked up and could not see a pass from Dak Prescott whizzing by him. It’s possible the third-and-19 incompletion could have brought the Cowboys to a field-goal try if he had seen the ball.
“You can’t do anything about [it],” Wilson told reporters after the wild-card loss. “I turned around and couldn’t see Dak or the ball.”
The stadium played a role in the third quarter, too, when Dallas punter Bryan Anger’s punt hit the jumbotron, forcing a do-over of the down.
Sure, Prescott, coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore can rue the scramble that did not leave them any time on the clock for a shot at the end zone. But Jones, too, might have a few regrets stemming all the way back to a stadium that opened in 2009.
