What were Kellen Moore, Cowboys thinking on last play of the playoff loss to the 49ers?

Fair or not, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is catching some heat after a disastrous final play in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Trailing by seven points with 6 seconds left in regulation, the Cowboys were stuck on their own 24-yard line and needed a miracle play full of laterals and luck to get a tying touchdown.

With that in mind, Dallas trotted an unusual lineup onto the field. Running back Ezekiel Elliott lined up at center — all by his lonesome — and was the only “lineman” in place to protect quarterback Dak Prescott.

Wide receivers KaVontae Turpin and T.Y. Hilton and two offensive lineman were lined up in a bunch to Prescott’s left. Tight end Dalton Schultz and two offensive linemen were in a bunch to his right, with wide receiver Ceedee Lamb in the slot.

Running back Malik Davis was in the backfield.

Elliott got flattened by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair shortly after snapping the ball back to Prescott, who was under pressure and rushed a short throw to Turpin, who was immediately tackled, ending the game.

The formation suggested Moore was setting up some sort of lateral on one side of the field of the other — Boise State fans know all about miracle lateral plays — but that’s not how it played out.

If the play was designed to be a lateral to Hilton, he should have run his route toward the middle of the field, cutting underneath Turpin so he was in position to catch a pitch. Instead, he stayed near the line of scrimmage as if he was expecting a pass from Prescott.

Schultz and the linemen on the right side didn’t react at all when the ball was snapped. Lamb flashed open in the middle of the field, and the play could have been designed for him to catch a pass and lateral to Turpin, who was running a slant in the opposite direction, but Prescott didn’t have time to find him.

Neither Moore nor Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy elaborated on the play.

The Cowboys’ only chance of tying the game was to lateral the ball as many times as possible and hope something broke open. It would have taken a one-in-a-million play, but what Dallas did was so bad, the reaction from fans and former players has been swift.

Fans called for Moore’s job, and former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. weighed in on the play.

“We, the Panthers, interviewed Kellen Moore for the (head coaching) job,” he posted on Twitter. “Based on the last play for the Cowboys, ain’t no way in hell Moore is coaching us with that trash last play!”

Moore, who went 50-3 as Boise State’s starting quarterback from 2008 to 2011, hasn’t actually interviewed with the Panthers yet. His interview was postponed on Friday and will be held on Tuesday, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye.

Moore, 34, has been the Cowboys offensive coordinator since 2019, after joining the staff as quarterbacks coach in 2018. He was a hot commodity on the NFL head coaching market last year, interviewing for vacant jobs in Miami and Jacksonville.

The Panthers requested permission to interview him earlier this month. They interviewed former Saints head coach Sean Payton on Monday, according to The Charlotte Observer.

Moore went undrafted in 2012 after his stellar college career but spent six seasons as a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions and the Cowboys. He still holds records at Boise State for career touchdown passes (142), passing yards (14,667), completions (1,157) and attempts (1,658). He ranks No. 2 in NCAA history in career TD passes, behind former Houston quarterback Case Keenum.