DAK PRESCOTT DIDN’T discuss it afterward, as a result of by the point he threw his second interception initially of the fourth quarter towards the Lions, the Cowboys trailed by 31 factors. It did not matter to the field rating that the $240 million quarterback confronted a second opponent — the solar — as he took a deep shot at midfield on fourth down, or that as an alternative of discovering his personal receiver Jalen Brooks, he discovered Lions security Brian Department.
“He is staring proper into the solar,” Tom Brady mentioned as Fox’s broadcast confirmed the replay of the choose.
It was Oct. 13 in Arlington, Texas, earlier than the top of daylight financial savings time, so the solar was starting its lengthy descent simply earlier than 6 p.m. Central Time, by means of the southwest home windows of AT&T Stadium.
A month later, on the subsequent 3:25 p.m. recreation at AT&T, the solar claimed one other couple of Cowboys towards the visiting Eagles, this time round 4:45 p.m. as these southwest-facing home windows framed the setting solar with two minutes left within the second quarter.
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On second down from Philadelphia’s 3-yard line, the solar momentarily blinded tight finish Jake Ferguson and receiver CeeDee Lamb as they turned to face quarterback Cooper Rush from the east finish zone. Ferguson put his fingers as much as give up simply because the ball sailed previous him on the objective line. Lamb was extensive open crossing behind Ferguson deep in the long run zone however could not react in time. After the ball fell untouched to the turf, he pointed two fingers to his eyes.
“I could not see the ball,” Lamb mentioned after the loss, confirming what he’d gestured after he missed the ball in the long run zone. “The solar.”
Lamb emphatically declared a perception that curtains within the southwest-facing home windows would assist him do his job. “One thousand p.c,” Lamb mentioned.
Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones dismissed the solar as an element to be addressed through curtains, drapes or maybe massive Venetian blinds — “Let’s simply tear the rattling stadium down and construct one other one. Are you kidding me?” — even when Lamb, his teammates and a few of Dallas’ opponents would possibly consider in a different way.
At AT&T Stadium, throughout the center and later chunk of the NFL season, the solar travels the precise path of the soccer subject, from northeast to southwest, and the 5 panels of 120-foot tall glass within the southwest finish zone funnel the enormous star’s hearth onto the sector because it descends to the horizon.
The New York Giants arrive Thursday (3:25 p.m. CT, Fox) as the primary workforce because the Eagles to play within the late-afternoon time slot at Jerry World. A workforce spokesperson for the Giants declined to make their director of soccer information and innovation out there to speak about how New York prepares to play a late-afternoon recreation at AT&T, citing aggressive causes. They are not excited by serving to anyone else determine it out. That is as a result of the Giants and others throughout the league, together with the Cowboys themselves, spend time scouting the solar in Arlington.
The character of the scouting stories fluctuate, the information on the influence of the sunshine streaming by means of these Arlington home windows is open to interpretation. However loads of folks across the league will let you know that the solar at A&T Stadium… sure, it is a factor.
“That f—ing glare coming by means of that finish zone within the afternoon is f—ing ridiculous,” Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce mentioned on his “New Heights” podcast. “Completely ridiculous. It is just like the glass makes it f—ing like unfold extra. It is just like the solar is greater and brighter than it is ever f—ing been.”
BRICE BUTLER, WHO performed receiver at Jerry World for components of 4 seasons from 2015-2018, thinks this complete dialog is ineffective as a result of Jones is rarely going to place up curtains.
“It sucked, however our coaches would say, you simply gotta make performs,” Butler mentioned. “You are paid to make performs, so…”
Again in 2017, Butler mentioned he talked to Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones about addressing the problem after a win towards the Chiefs the place he and Dez Bryant each misplaced balls to the solar. “Dak threw me a pleasant rope 9 ball [fade route], and I used to be open,” Butler says now. “I used to be making an attempt to catch within the solar, and I squeezed my fingers closed proper because the ball obtained to my hand, so I did not catch it.”
Jerry Jones says the solar equally impacts each groups, and he has seen each Cowboys gamers and opponents drop catches or interceptions, so he does not see the use in altering something.
The distinction this season is that all the things that may go incorrect has gone incorrect in Dallas. Because the frustration builds with every blowout loss, the nuisance of the solar at AT&T is up for reexamination.
AT&T is one among solely two NFL stadiums constructed on a southwest-northeast axis, and it’s the solely NFL subject that has a clear southwest finish zone. The one different subject on that axis, Huntington Financial institution Discipline in Cleveland, has a strong wall blocking the southwest finish zone.
Nineteen of 30 NFL stadiums have finish zones located on a north-south axis. It is most typical for NFL recreation pure lighting to alter from shady to sunny because the solar crosses the north-south subject on a principally horizontal path. One aspect is shaded, and one aspect is bathed in solar. Dwelling groups will usually strategically place their bench on the aspect that’s shaded within the afternoon so their gamers can keep out of the warmth. And in some circumstances, corresponding to Miami’s Arduous Rock Stadium, the engineers truly designed the construction to guard the house sideline within the shade for the complete afternoon, whereas the guests are pressured to sweat it out within the solar. 13 of these 19 north-south stadiums are open air, so the solar is overhead.
The solar units straight west on the autumn equinox, this yr on Sunday, Sept. 22, when the Cowboys hosted the Ravens at 3:25 p.m. However every single day after the primary day of fall till the primary day of winter, the solar strikes south to take up a decrease place within the sky.
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“This time of yr, the solar angle is low sufficient that the solar truly can stream into your home windows,” mentioned Rick Mitchell, chief meteorologist for NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Value.
Mitchell notes the way in which canine and cats curl up in that shiny, heat patch of solar in the home this time of yr. “As soon as they discover that, they’re like, ‘Oh, that is heavenly,'” he says. “It does not occur all yr. That is type of what that is.”
The Cowboys have performed a disproportionate quantity of video games whereas the solar is setting at residence, owing to the workforce’s reputation amongst tv viewers and the presence and time of the annual Thanksgiving recreation. Since 2009 when AT&T Stadium opened, the Cowboys have performed 43% of their residence video games within the 3 p.m. central time window, and 22 residence video games within the 3:25 p.m. time slot, primarily reserved for nationally televised video games, essentially the most of any workforce not within the AFC or NFC West.
Thursday’s 3:25 CT recreation towards the Giants is subsequent on the schedule, and it is proper on the time of day and interval of the yr the meteorologist cites as an impactful time for the solar.
“It is simpler for the solar’s rays to beam by means of that massive set of home windows that they’ve in that finish zone,” Mitchell says. “And that is why it isn’t as massive of a deal earlier within the fall. Plus, the solar units earlier. When soccer season first begins, sundown might be 7:30. However we’re simply at that good storm of the yr for these rays to have an effect on AT&T Stadium.”
ONE EXECUTIVE FROM an NFL membership gave ESPN a tip for researching this story: Verify late-afternoon video games and what path the groups that lose the coin toss select.
Many spend time scouting this, as a result of they consider there’s a potential edge to realize when you already know precisely the place the solar might be. And the prevailing idea is, if the solar is within the receiver’s eyes, it could price you factors.
When Dallas performed Philadelphia on Nov. 10, the solar wasn’t going to be an element within the second half with a 5:29 p.m. sundown. So when Dallas gained the coin toss and selected to obtain — not the extra widespread option to defer — it meant Philadelphia obtained to decide on the path — to defend the west objective — which meant they’d be defending the east objective within the second quarter, the place the solar can be within the eyes of the Cowboys receivers.
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In 26 probabilities to decide on subject path in video games at AT&T Stadium since 2020, opponents had a reasonably even distribution of path — 11 instances east and 15 instances west. For the late afternoon window, opponents selected to defend the west objective eight instances and the east objective thrice, and in 4 video games after the clocks modified, thrice Dallas opponents selected to defend the west objective within the first quarter and put the solar in Cowboys’ receivers eyes within the second quarter.
However making an attempt to find out a workforce’s solar technique is not so simple as monitoring their decisions. As a result of from the start of September to the top of October, sundown strikes up an hour (whereas from the top of daylight financial savings by means of mid-January, it solely modifications by 25 minutes in Dallas), and that variance signifies that completely different parts of the sport might be impacted by solar.
When Dallas hosted Baltimore within the late-afternoon window on Sept. 22, the solar affected the groups primarily within the second half of the fourth quarter, however three weeks later, with sundown half-hour earlier, the solar began to glare within the third quarter and subsided 10 minutes into the fourth quarter.
Jones is adamant that the Cowboys additionally know the place the solar is once they exit for the coin toss and make their decisions. Their latest monitor document makes it unclear whether or not that data is far of an element.
Of the 14 instances Dallas has chosen a subject path at AT&T since 2020, irrespective of the time of the sport or the week on the calendar, Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys have chosen to defend the east objective all however as soon as. This suggests their selection does not have a lot to do with the solar’s ever-changing path throughout the stadium and thru the southwestern home windows.
And within the late-afternoon time slots which have fallen post-daylight financial savings time, Dallas selected to defend the east objective seven of eight instances, which signifies that the solar can be of their receivers’ eyes when wanting again on the quarterback for a lot of the second quarter when it is the brightest. Possibly Dallas prefers the solar just isn’t in its QB’s eyes, however a workforce spokesperson declined to make any Cowboys staffer out there to speak about it, citing aggressive causes.
“The workforce has a system and course of in place that we make the most of relating to pictures of the solar, timing and diverse different particulars,” the spokesperson mentioned.
Dallas’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is in his third yr with the Cowboys and instructed reporters that the workers talks in regards to the solar “on a regular basis,” however he’d by no means skilled it influence a play like that till Week 10 of this yr when Ferguson and Lamb have been blinded.
“It was one play,” he mentioned. “We’re aware of it, we discuss it and there are particular areas of the sector the place it positively will get just a little harder. However we will not flip the ball over… “
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was a quarterback for the Cowboys from 2015-17 and was Dallas’ offensive coordinator from 2019-22, so he was accustomed to the solar’s sample forward of Philadelphia’s Week 10 win at Dallas.
“The solar performs a good position, so that you simply need to name performs based on it realizing sure components of the sector at instances could be a little bit difficult,” Moore instructed reporters after the win. “We had it within the first quarter within the crimson zone, however within the second quarter we have been going the opposite method. “
When Jason Garrett coached the Cowboys from 2010-19, he says he was prepped on the solar’s motion by then-Cowboys soccer operations director Bruce Mays, who confirmed him footage of the solar every week.
“He would come into my workplace and say, ‘Hey, at 3:25 after we go, right here is the place the solar goes to be, after which 3:45 and 4,'” Garrett instructed Professional Soccer Discuss. “And it wasn’t solely what occurred final week, however final yr, and understanding we’re enjoying on Nov. 11, so that is the place the solar goes to be on Nov. 11.”
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Garrett instructed PFT his technique to fight the solar for these late-afternoon video games was to defer if he gained the coin toss in order that his opponent may select to kick or obtain after which he’d have the ability to select the path he wished to go.
“However the trickiest a part of this factor is, everybody says, ‘Oh, you wish to be sure your receivers aren’t wanting into the solar,'” Garrett mentioned. “You perceive your receivers are an important folks to not look into the solar. However then your quarterback is wanting into the solar.”
“You don’t need the solar in your eyes, so far as your receivers, if it is the fourth quarter, as a result of you might have to throw the ball,” former Washington head coach Ron Rivera mentioned. “That is at all times one thing that you’d take into consideration. So if you happen to get to make that selection, that is the path we wish to kick.”
The solar is at all times going to be a consider an out of doors recreation, however a number of staffers for different golf equipment mentioned AT&T is in a tier of its personal for requiring solar scouting.
“That stadium is harder than different stadiums,” one opposing coach mentioned.
EACH STADIUM HAS its personal quirks that groups should put together for, corresponding to SoFi Stadium’s translucent roof, which may create some daylight points as properly, Miami’s sweltering sideline, and people shiny lights at Kansas Metropolis at night time.
Final November, when Tyreek Hill tweeted about how arduous it’s to catch a soccer in Kansas Metropolis at night time, the NFL truly studied how stadiums have an effect on drop charges, and located Kansas Metropolis’s GEHA Discipline was the one stadium that had a statistically increased drop price at night time than throughout different recreation instances, and better than the league common drop price. AT&T Stadium did not current any important anomalies within the league’s research.
The daylight at AT&T controversy is loads just like the turf vs. grass debate. Gamers communicate out passionately in favor of grass and say that turf is tougher on their our bodies, however the information does not present important proof that grass is definitely safer. Gamers have mentioned again and again that the solar is a matter at AT&T, and there is loads of anecdotal proof to level to, however the information truly backs up Jerry Jones’ perspective that it is simply noise.
Per ESPN analysis, Cowboys and visiting groups should not worse at AT&T Stadium on the subject of dropped passes or fumbled punts. Cowboys receivers have truly dropped extra targets (4.4%) in video games outdoors of the late-afternoon window (common season and playoffs) at AT&T than they’ve in video games in that sunset-plagued window (3.4%)
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And the identical may be mentioned about division opponents, who’ve performed there as soon as annually because it opened in 2009. NFC East rivals have a 4.3% drop price on targets in all non-afternoon video games at AT&T, an equivalent determine to their 4.3% drop price in video games outdoors of late-afternoon video games in Dallas since 2009, and a 3.2% drop price on targets in late-afternoon video games there.
And in video games like Eagles-Cowboys, performed at a time that carries the hazard of a receiver not seeing the ball in any respect, these numbers are equally unrevealing. The Cowboys have caught 68% of their targets in late-afternoon video games at AT&T and 68.3% of targets in all different video games there.
The solar’s harm simply feels extra pronounced now as a result of, as Butler places it, “the workforce sucks.”
Per ESPN analysis, two of the Cowboys’ three worst catch percentages in any late-afternoon residence recreation with Prescott have come this season. Dallas caught 56% of targets from Prescott in two late-afternoon residence video games this yr (Week 3 vs Ravens, Week 6 vs Lions), when earlier than this season, the bottom proportion of targets the workforce had caught from Prescott in these video games was 65% in 2021.
In all of their residence video games this season, no matter begin time or quarterback, the Cowboys have caught simply 61% of their targets at residence, which ranks thirty first within the NFL (solely the Browns are worse at 58%).
Jones will embrace the implications of this information, not that it could matter a lot if it supported the other perspective. The proprietor has mentioned a number of instances that he wished the indoor stadium to really feel like an out of doors one. He invited the solar to be a part of the grand present.
Thanksgiving Day 2023: Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed an additional level whereas kicking going through the solar within the southwest home windows. pic.twitter.com/Hz8aOaOaXL
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) November 27, 2024
The solar did not dazzle at full energy throughout final season’s Thanksgiving Day recreation, performed 5 days sooner than this season, on Nov. 23. The forecast recorded damaged clouds within the afternoon. With 8:46 to go within the second quarter, the orange glow was seen by means of the higher proper portion of the southwest home windows. It did not solid its standard oppressive glare onto the sector, however kicker Brandon Aubrey did miss an additional level with 26 seconds left within the half, kicking into the southwest finish zone and going through the glowing home windows. It was his third additional level miss of the season.
The final time Dallas performed at residence on Nov. 28 was in 2019, and the solar wasn’t a difficulty within the second quarter in any respect as a result of the circumstances have been cloudy and foggy with drizzling rain. The primary half ended at 4:49 p.m., and the solar set at 5:23 p.m. It was principally darkish outdoors the southwest home windows by the point the third quarter started.
The Thanksgiving game-day forecast this yr is a little bit of a thriller as as to if the solar will affect this recreation. NBC 5 in Dallas says: “Chilly and breezy with intervals of clouds and solar.”
