NFL Makes Final Decision on Incident From Cowboys Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Dec 2, 2025 7:58 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys have suddenly emerged as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. This team has notched up three straight wins, which include victories of the defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the mighty Kansas City Chiefs, within the span of five days.

The Cowboys took down the champs in Week 12, 24-21, followed by a huge Thanksgiving Day victory over Patrick Mahomes and Co., 31-28. Dallas is now 6-5-1 and has kept its postseason hopes alive amid this recent hot streak.

Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau, however, was involved in a contentious moment during their win over Philadelphia. The NFL has now made its final decision on the incident.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau (35) grabs a hold of Los Angeles Rams running back Cody Schrader (32).© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Liufau, Dallas’ third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is currently in his second season with the Cowboys. The former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star has played in all 12 games thus far, registering 1.0 sacks, 24 combined tackles (15 solo), one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits and one forced fumble.

In Week 12 against the Eagles, Liufau was flagged for a personal foul in the first quarter of the game. This was after he went in hard on Eagles kicker Braden Mann. The hit was deemed excessive and was flagged for a roughing the kicker violation. It resulted in a 15-yard penalty in Philly's favor.

However, the video replay showed that Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy got his fingertips on the ball during the punt attempt. According to NFL rules, this should have negated the penalty on Liufau. The referees did not reverse the call, though.

Cowboys were flagged for roughing the punter. The ball was tipped so this call should have been called back. This gave the Eagles a free 1st down pic.twitter.com/CCi17lfozd
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) November 23, 2025

The good news for Liufau is that he has not been sanctioned by the league for his personal foul. After reviewing the incident, the NFL decided not to fine the Cowboys LB. Liufau's incident was not included in the list of fines from Week 12 on the gameday accountability report.

For context, Nephi Sewell of the New Orleans Saints was fined $12,172 for a roughing the kicker violation in Week 4.

The Cowboys are back in action on Thursday in another primetime matchup. They will be looking to make it four wins in a row as they face the Detroit Lions in a road game at Ford Field. Kickoff for that one is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: