This was a nail-biting game right up until the end – and it continues to spark controversy. The Lions appeared to secure the 2-point conversion they needed for the win against the Cowboys, only for it to be invalidated due to a critical officiating error. Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell was understandably irate as his team’s hard-earned score was controversially taken off the board with mere seconds left on the clock. It was a tough break for the Lions as the Cowboys held on to secure a 20-19 victory. How the NFL addresses these ongoing officiating mistakes will be a topic of heated debate in the days to come. via Nolan Bianchi of Detroit News.
The replay showed that the Lions’ linemen seemingly made an attempt to correctly report. The Lions had clearly prepared for that 2-point play. ESPN’s Troy Aikman said about Decker not reporting, “I’m not so sure it didn’t happen.” Another ESPN replay showed Lions quarterback Jared Goff motioning to Decker to talk to the official, and Decker moved that way.
“Taylor Decker also walks over the official and you only do that if you’re telling the official you’re reporting as and eligible,” Aikman said. “I don’t know if he just didn’t hear that or what. They said that only Dan Skipper reported, but the evidence is on the tape.
“Initially I thought, well, he didn’t report because he’s in the game. It’s hard to believe that he didn’t.”
ESPN officiating analyst John Parry seemed to agree that Decker made an attempt, but for some reason it wasn’t recognized.
“I don’t think [referee] Brad Allen ever recognized Decker,” said Parry, who was an NFL official for 19 seasons. “I think he sees No.
