Did Lions get screwed on possible game-winning conversion? Replay adds drama

Controversy is swarming over the NFL after the feisty ending to Saturday's critical game between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. With Detroit trailing by seven points with less than two minutes to go, the Lions scored a touchdown and lined up for a two-point conversion to go for the win.

Head coach Dan Campbell called in a trick play that saw quarterback Jared Goff throw to tackle Taylor Decker for a successful attempt only for the play to get waved off because the officials said Decker did not report as eligible, resulting in an illegal touch.

The Lions tried two more two-point attempts and failed, handing a pivotal victory to the Cowboys and essentially ending Detroit's chances of securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Video replay, however, appears to show that the officials got the call wrong.

Replays Show Taylor Decker Reporting To The Official As Eligible

Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson shared a screenshot from ESPN's broadcast on X showing Decker, who is wearing No. 68, walking over to the official prior to the snap and appearing to be acknowledged.

That same thread also showed a video of Goff clearly signaling to Decker to go report to referee Brad Allen, who later announced that Dan Skipper, who is wearing No. 70 in the above screenshot, was the player who reported as eligible for that play.

NFL response to Lions overturned two-point conversion

There was a clear disagreement after the game as to what actually happened on that specific play. Campbell, who was livid on the field when the call was made, indicated in his post-game press conference that he had briefed Allen's crew about the specifics of that play prior to the game so they understood who was eligible and who wasn't.

Decker and Goff both indicated that Decker had reported as eligible on the play while Skipper indicated he never said a word to the official. There may have been some confusion on the play as three separate linemen approached Allen on the play, which Campbell indicated was part of the play design to try and mix up the Dallas defense.

Allen spoke to a pool reporter after the game and refuted the entire Lions' story, indicating that Skipper reported as eligible and Decker did not, making the play illegal. Further questioning also saw Allen declare that the Lions' formation was illegal, adding a second penalty to the play that wasn't called. The full transcript provided courtesy of ESPN's Adam Schefter, is listed below.

This is not a good look for the NFL, which basically had one of its officials accuse an entire team of lying to potentially cover up the fact he mixed up which lineman was eligible on a game-deciding play.

This also isn't the first time that Allen's crew has been mired in controversy this season as they also missed a blatant pass interference call by the Green Bay Packers against Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiver Marques Valdez-Scantling on Sunday Night Football back in Week 13. Green Bay ended up winning that game in another result that has had a major influence on the playoff race.

It remains to be seen whether the NFL will offer any additional commentary on the end of the Lions-Cowboys game but past precedent indicates we are unlikely to see anything other potentially a mid-week apology for getting the call wrong. That apology would be of little comfort to the Lions, whose whole postseason path may have been made much harder because of a bad call by the officials.