The Dallas Cowboys were staring at a shot at overtime Sunday with a chance to take first place in the NFC East. Trailing the rival Washington Redskins, 20-17 with three seconds remaining, the Cowboys set rookie kicker Brett Maher up with a chance to be a hero, facing a 47-yard field goal attempt to tie the game. Late penalty costly for Cowboys Then there was movement. Redskins rookie lineman Da’Ron Payne jumped across the line before the snap, appearing to give Maher a five-yard cushion for the kick. But the penalty was on Dallas. Officials flagged long snapper L.P. Ladouceur for a snap infraction, making the attempt a 52-yarder for Maher. Miss lands Washington in first place Maher’s kick had the distance but clanged off the left upright to secure the win for Washington. With the 20-17 win, Washington improves to 4-2 to take first place in the NFC East while Dallas drops to third place at 3-4. Officials explain snap infraction NFL officials highlighted the infraction in a video posted on Twitter, showing Ladouceur moving the ball prior to Payne jumping over the line. “The illegal ball movement by the center in #DALvsWAS causes the defense to come across the neutral zone and contact a lineman.” -AL pic.twitter.com/Cv8Ugwb99p — NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) October 21, 2018 Cowboys’ comeback thwarted The field-goal attempt came after Dallas scored a late touchdown and forced a Washington punt after trailing 20-10 in the final minutes of the game. The Cowboys closed the deficit to 20-17 with a 12-play 74-yard drive that ended with quarterback Dak Prescott scoring from third-and goal at the 1-yard line with 1:37 remaining. Washington managed to run just 28 seconds off the clock on the ensuing possession that ended with quarterback Alex Smith running out of bounds while trying to scramble for a first down. The clock stoppage preserved Dallas’ final timeout. Story continues (AP) The Cowboys took over at their own 36-yard line after a Washington punt and drove the ball 30 yards to set up the attempt at a game-tying field goal. But Maher’s kick that looked good from 47 was just off target at 52 yards, preventing a late Redskins collapse. Prescott turnover proves costly Prescott was solid passing for the Cowboys, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. But a critical fumble on a Ryan Kerrigan sack deep in Dallas territory proved to be the difference in the game. Redskins linebacker Preston Smith recovered the fumble for a touchdown that gave Washington a 20-10 lead with 4:55 remaining. It was an evenly played game with both teams struggling to get much going on offense. The Cowboys tallied 323 yards of total offense compared to 305 yards for the Redskins. Turnovers ended up playing the difference. Prescott lost a second fumble in addition to the one that led to the Smith touchdown, accounting for the only two turnovers in the game. More from Yahoo Sports: • Bowl projections: Big Ten leader Michigan in running for CFP spot • Tim Brown: Yasiel Puig puts mustard on Dodgers’ NL pennant • Rondo-CP3 brawl grips NBA during LeBron’s home debut in L.A. • Pete Thamel: 10 takeaways include Ohio State’s shocking loss at Purdue<doc-sep>All alone in first place: Sunday’s win snapped Washington’s four-game losing streak against the Cowboys and was the Redskins’ first victory over Dallas at FedEx Field since the final week of the 2012 regular season. Washington improved to 2-7 in its last nine games following a win, has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and is all alone in first place in the NFC East with a 4-2 record. The Panthers did the Redskins a favor earlier in the day by completing a 17-point comeback to knock off the Eagles. This marks the first time since 2000 that Washington will head into Week 8 atop the division.<doc-sep>The Redskins sit atop the NFC East at 4-2 after Sunday afternoons victory at home over the Cowboys. This was a defensive battle from the get-go, and quite fittingly, it was the Redskins defense who scored on a strip-sack to give them a 10 point lead with just under five minutes to play. The Cowboys missed a field goal that would have sent the game into overtime preserving the victory for the Skins. Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some notes. Studs: Adrian Peterson - AP whipped Father Time’s butt yet again Sunday afternoon, gashing the Cowboys defense for 99 rushing yards and catching one pass for 8 yards. He is the ultimate warrior out there on the field. Great blocking here at the point of attack, but man can Adrian Peterson hit a hole! pic.twitter.com/f0VtDjYajU — Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller5681) October 22, 2018 The offensive line - Trent Williams and company kept Smith clean for much of the afternoon (allowed just one sack) and paved the way for 130 rushing yards. This group looks so much better with Roullier back at center (who BTW is a stud). This is how you draw it up! Unbelievable job by Roullier and Lauvao here. Man it’s nice to have a center who can get out on a pull and lead a play downfield! Roullier has been great all year playing in space either at C or G. pic.twitter.com/MgvuQbAwBZ — Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller5681) October 22, 2018 Ryan Kerrigan - Kerrigan showed up and it was in a BIG way. The veteran outside linebacker was stout all day against the run, but it was his impact in the passing game that was the difference maker. He notched 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended, and multiple quarterback pressures, but it was his sack and forced fumble that was recovered for a touchdown by Preston Smith that was the difference in the game. Play of the game here by Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith! pic.twitter.com/8usTv6PXe5 — Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller5681) October 22, 2018 Preston Smith - Smith did not record a sack, but he was a menace on defense, harassing Dak Prescott all afternoon, and drew a key holding penalty early in the game. He recorded multiple quarterback hits and pressures that disrupted Prescott throwing the football, and his timely fumble recovery of a Kerrigan strip-sack for a touchdown was huge! Watch Preston Smith beat Tyron Smith and get a hand on Prescott altering the pass. pic.twitter.com/QIki7Srteg — Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller5681) October 22, 2018 Daron Payne/Jonathan Allen - The Alabama due was active all afternoon, plugging holes so Elliott had no wear to run, and pushing the pocket to disrupt the rhythm of Prescott. Allen notched a sack and assisted on a tackle for a loss, while Payne had 4 tackles and a pass defended. Both men had multiple quarterback pressures. This may be the only way to stop Jonathan Allen. pic.twitter.com/XGdxxRdTd8 — Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller5681) October 22, 2018 Zach Brown/Mason Foster - The duo combined for 18 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and a few quarterback pressures. Better yet, they held Ezekiel Elliott to just 33 yards on 15 carries. D.J. Swearinger - Swearinger came out early and set the tone on defense with some big hits and a near miraculous interception on sideline. He forced a Prescott fumble which he recovered on a fourth and one early in the first quarter when the Cowboys decided to try and sneak for the first down. The defense seemed to feed off the veteran safety’s play all afternoon. Cowboys long-snapper - Thank goodness for that snap infraction at the end of the game. If it wasn’t for that, the game would likely have went into overtime. Duds: Greg Stroman - Stroman was torched in coverage yet again by another rookie, as Michael Gallup made him look silly on a double move which he blew by the unsuspecting corner for a 49 yards touchdown. He also fair caught a punt midway through the third quarter with no one within 10 yards of him. Fabian Moreau - Moreau struggled in the slot, allowing receivers way too much separation and uncontested catches. The catch at the end of the game by Beasley could have proven costly (thankfully the FG was missed). I’d have liked to see him on the outside with Stroman in the slot. Tony Romo - My goodness, could he be any more of a Cowboys homer in the broadcast booth? That was sickening! Notes: - Alex Smith was far from perfect this game, but I did see him take some shots to covered receivers (mainly Doctson), who hauled in some of his well thrown balls. He also pressed the ball deep and just missed on some near connections. It may take a few more games, but I think we are seeing him become a bit more comfortable in this offense. That miss to Sprinkle in the end zone early in the third quarter however was inexcusable. - Josh Doctson was not getting much separation, but he did a great job of hauling in some nice throws in coverage. Credit Alex for putting the ball on him and giving him a chance. For the first time all season, Doctson looked like he was playing with a chip on his shoulder. This is not what you’d consider being open, but Alex Smith makes a perfect throw here and Doctson hauls it in, in traffic. I think this is what Jay Gruden meant when he said Smith sometimes just needs to put it in there and trust his receivers. Making progress... pic.twitter.com/lzpcVMn4Tt — Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller5681) October 22, 2018 - Michael Floyd needs to come down with that Hail Mary at the end of the half.<doc-sep>LANDOVER, Md. -- Officially, the penalty was a false start in the game book. In the words of referee John Hussey, Dallas Cowboys long snapper L.P. Ladouceur was called for a snap infraction. Ladouceur, a 14-year veteran, could not recall ever being flagged for such a penalty. With three seconds remaining, Ladouceur's penalty moved a potential game-tying field goal attempt from 47 to 52 yards, and Brett Maher's kick hit the left upright, leaving the Cowboys with a loss -- 20-17 against the Washington Redskins -- and at a loss. "I just adjusted down so I could put my hands on the bottom of it, so I could snap it in the right direction," Ladouceur said. "Exact same thing I've been doing for 14 years ... I'm not even trying to get him offside. I know the situation. Just too bad." Coach Jason Garrett said he was told that Ladouceur moved the ball in a way that prompted Jonathan Allen to jump offside. Garrett could not recall the last time he saw that called as a penalty. "Once? Twice? Not very often," Garrett said. On Twitter, Al Riveron, the NFL's director of officiating, said the "illegal ball movement by the center causes the defense to come across the neutral zone and contact a lineman." Brett Maher's potential tying field goal hit the upright and sealed the loss to the Redskins. AP Photo/Mark Tenally Ladouceur -- the longest-tenured Cowboy, having joined the team in 2005 -- said he went through the same pre-snap routine he has followed his entire career. "Never had that before," Ladouceur said. "I do the exact same thing every time, so when that happens, that's what I was telling the ref: 'I do the exact same thing. Yeah, the guy jumped.' That's what I thought." Ladouceur said he puts one hand on the ball, then a second and lays it down so he can snap it accurately. Entering Sunday, he was perfect as a snapper, with clean snaps on 924 punts, 572 point-after attempts and 419 field goal tries. What is Ladouceur's understanding of the rule? "As long as I don't pick up the ball," he said. "The ball was on the ground the whole time." Maher had made 16 straight field goal attempts prior to his miss. He said he pulled the kick slightly, and the wind might have played a part as it was coming down. "That penalty had zero impact on the result of that kick, I can promise you that," Maher said. "L.P. and [holder Chris Jones], like they've done all year, they made my job easy, and it was the same in that situation. Yeah, I felt like I was very capable of making that kick. Just didn't get it done."<doc-sep>
The Cowboys were called for eight penalties on Sunday, but only one of them managed to turn into a controversy, and that was the flag that was thrown on long snapper L.P. Ladouceur with just three seconds left in the game. With the Redskins up 20-17, Cowboys kicker Brett Maher lined up for a 47-yard field goal. However, before he could attempt the kick, one of the officials threw a flag. Although it appeared that the Redskins might have jumped offsides, the call on the field was a snap infraction by Ladouceur. The penalty moved the Cowboys back five yards and forced Maher to attempt his game-tying field goal from 52 yards away. The penalty ended up being huge, because Maher's kick hit the left upright and likely would have gone in if he had attempted it from 47 yards. After the penalty was called, a lot of fans on Twitter felt that the Cowboys got screwed. Due to the controversial nature of the play, the NFL didn't waste any time explaining the situation. Almost as soon as the game ended, the NFL's vice president of officiating, Al Riveron, sent out a tweet explaining why Ladouceur was called for a snap infraction. As you'll see in the video below, Ladouceur made a subtle movement with the ball, which is why the flag was thrown. "The illegal ball movement by the center causes the defense to come across the neutral zone and contact a lineman," Riveron wrote. Generally, you won't see a penalty called when the long snapper subtly moves the ball like that on a field goal. However, if the movement causes the defense to jump, then the official has to throw the flag. The one thing about this penalty is that long snappers move the ball into position all the time before they snap it, but officials rarely throw a flag. The decision to call a penalty on Ladouceur could set a bad precedent. If a defender sees a long snapper move the ball into a snapping position, the defender could jump offsides knowing the long snapper is the one who's going to get flagged. Of course, it's not the ref's fault that the Cowboys lost this game. If Cowboys fans want to blame someone, they should probably look at Jason Garrett, who made several questionable decisions over the final minutes of the game. After a nine-yard catch by Cole Beasley, the Cowboys had the ball on Washington's 37-yard line with one timeout and 52 seconds left to play. Instead of going for a touchdown, the Cowboys ran two plays, gained just six yards, spent their timeout and set up their rookie kicker for a difficult field goal from 47 yards out, which became 52 yards after the penalty was called on Ladouceur.