Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones’ Brutally Honest Take on Week 17 Issue Won’t Please Detroit Lions Fans

Owner of the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones said that the conclusion of their Week 17 matchup with the Detroit Lions was “convoluted.” He did, however, convey his opinion that Dan Campbell’s guys share some of the blame for what transpired.

Recall that a contentious penalty call cost Detroit a game-winning two-point conversion, which is how the Lions fell to the Cowboys 20-19. It appears that misunderstandings over the eligibility of the recipient contributed to the unexpected development.

What Happened in the Dallas Cowboys-Detroit Lions Referee Fiasco?

It started after the Lions scored a touchdown off a pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown. It allowed Detroit to cut Dallas’ lead to just 20-19 with only 23 seconds left.

With a chance to tie the game with a field goal or win it with a two-point conversion, the Lions chose the latter. With that, they needed one of their offensive lineman to report as an eligible receiver for the play.

Taylor Decker was the one who was supposed to report, but referee Brad Allen thought it was Dan Skipper reporting. Allen then proceeded to tell the Cowboys who declared as eligible receiver and announced it.

However, Decker was in position to receive when the Cowboys lined up, whereas Skipper was in a different configuration and had covering, which was against the law because he was the eligible receiver.

Having said that, Decker’s pass for the additional two points was promptly waived off. As a result of the miscommunication, two flags were raised: one for Decker’s illegal touching penalty and another for Skipper’s illegal formation, as Allen clarified following the game.

While the Lions still had the chance to win, they were stopped by the Cowboys.

Sure enough, the whole issue angered the Lions and their fanbase. The team denied that Skipper reported and it was Decker all along who reported. Video replays of the incident also showed Decker reporting.

The issue caused plenty of hate to be directed towards referee Brad Allen and his officiating crew. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers even chimed in and blamed the NFL for the lack of accountability of the referees.

Jerry Jones, however, has a different view of the matter. While he might be bias because it’s his team who benefitted, he did make some interesting points.

On the video of the incident circulating online, t’s worth noting that Taylor Decker was with Penei Sewell when reporting as eligible receiver. Dan Skipper was also showed running towards the referee instead of the huddle.

Those gestured made it appear that Skipper was the one reporting. Whether the Detroit Lions purposely did it to create confusion and fool the Cowboys, it certainly backfired. After all, despite their claims, the mistake they made was not clarifying to the referee who the eligible receiver was.

Jones emphasized that point in his latest radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan.

“I find it unbelievable how complicated our victory in that game was. However, to put it this way, the defensive unit is expected to be aware of the eligibility of the receivers. According to Jones, everything you try to clear it up could make things blurry for you, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Amidst all the animosity aimed at the referees, this insightful perspective has been overlooked. They should have communicated with the Lions more effectively, no doubt, but Detroit also deserves some of the same criticism. What ultimately sank them was the confusion that their acts first caused.

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