Here comes the sun again: Bright rays come into play again for Cowboys against Chiefs

The ball landed a few feet in front of Pickens inside the 20, and the receiver threw out his hands indicating he never saw it, then shaded his eyes when looking back to the west end of the stadium — and directly into the sun.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes later in the second quarter may have also been hampered by bright rays when looking downfield. He scrambled to his right, taking him from shade to a wide sliver of shining sun which may have kept him from seeing receiver Rashee Rice, who appeared open in the middle of the field. The quarterback was instead sacked from behind by Jadeveon Clowney for a 7-yard loss.

This was not the first time play has been impacted by the sun shining through the huge glass doors at the west end AT&T Stadium.

The stadium has an unusual east-west alignment from end zone to end zone, as opposed to most venues being north-south. So on clear days, such as Thursday, the sun shines through the west-end windows during portions of games that kick off later in the afternoon.

Just over a year ago in a 34-6 loss to Philadelphia, Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb lost a ball in the sun on an incompletion that helped keep Dallas from scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the first half of that game. Lamb was open on a crossing route in the end zone when a throw from Cooper Rush went behind him and he never adjusted to the ball.

In a 23-17 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January 2022, a pass whizzed by the head of open Dallas receiver Cedrick Wilson, who apparently never saw the ball looking back into the sun.

Cowboys billionaire owner Jerry Jones has flatly rejected numerous suggestions that the team should put up curtains at that end of the $1.2 billion stadium during games, even though they are some used for concerts and other events there.

Prescott’s first down pass intended for Pickens, right after a 10-yard pass to convert fourth-and-4, was potentially a four-point swing. Instead of moving closer to maybe a touchdown, the Cowboys settled for Brandon Aubrey’s 49-yard field goal to get within 14-10.

Kansas City won the game’s opening coin toss, and when Dallas elected to receive, the Chiefs opted to defend the west end zone — the one going into the sun.

There were no issues after halftime since the sun was setting by then.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL