Lions ‘confused’ as refs nix late 2-point try in Cowboys win.
Coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions was clearly irritated after a contentious penalty disallowed what would have been the game-winning 2-point convert late in the team’s defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.
With 23 seconds remaining, Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker was flagged by officials after he caught what looked to be the game-winning pass. But because Decker failed to indicate that he was eligible, he was called for an illegal touching penalty.
In the end, the Cowboys defeated the Lions 20-19 by denying their 2-point attempt.
“Would you be frustrated right now?” Campbell remarked afterwards. “That’s what occurred, and I don’t like to lose. I’m bothered that we lost. The frustration stems from the fact that I dislike receiving an L.
The Lions and the refs gave contradictory accounts afterward, with quarterback Jared Goff saying definitively that Decker, the Lions’ starting left tackle, reported as an eligible receiver and that Dan Skipper, a backup offensive tackle, did not. Skipper also said afterward that he did not report to an official.
However, in a pool report, referee Brad Allen said the opposite, that Skipper reported to him as eligible and that Decker did not.
“Therefore, he is an ineligible touching a pass that goes beyond the line, which makes it a foul,” Allen said of Decker in the pool report. “So, the issue is, No. 70 did report, No. 68 did not.”
Video of the moment showed Decker having a conversation with Allen, who then said something to the Cowboys’ defense.
“That conversation is where [Skipper] reports to me, and I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them, ‘[Skipper] has reported as an eligible receiver,’ so they will be aware of who has reported,” Allen said in the pool report.
Inside the Lions’ locker room after the loss, Decker and Skipper declined to speak in depth about the penalty. Instead, Decker said he did “exactly what Coach told me to do.” Skipper said he had “very few words that aren’t going to get me fined.”
With 1:41 remaining on Detroit’s final drive and the Lions trailing 20-13, Campbell told his players that they were going for the win and would continue to be aggressive.
With 23 seconds left, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown scored an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to pull Detroit to within 20-19. But the Lions’ three attempts at 2-point conversions ended in failure. The final play had an incomplete pass to tight end James Mitchell, while the first two attempts—one against the Lions and the other against the Cowboys—were nullified by penalties.
Goff stated that the flag above Decker “pretty confused” him.
Yes, that is awful. Man, it’s unfortunate,” Goff remarked. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever experienced this sensation before, where you think you’ve won but actually didn’t. Having said that, we have a chance to try in the following two plays.”
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