NFL rewards official Brad Allen for Cowboys win with another primetime slot

NFL officiating has come under fire as of late due in part to the calls that were made late in games. Look no further than Week 17, where the Dallas Cowboys narrowly defeated the Detroit Lions 20-19. That's because a two-point conversion play by the Lions was overturned due to an illegal touch pass penalty after quarterback Jared Goff had thrown a pass to offensive tackle Taylor Decker. The thing is, Decker had ruled himself eligible, but referee Brad Allen got confused with tackle Dan Skipper. That resulted in a five-yard loss and the Lions failing their second two-point conversion attempt.

There was a report from ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter that Allen and his referee crew were going to be downgraded and removed from playoff games. But a new update has some fans scratching their heads.

According to Schefter, Allen and his crew were assigned to the Saturday afternoon standalone game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

Brad Allen will officiate Steelers-Ravens game in Week 18

The Steelers vs. Ravens matchup does carry playoff implications. While the Ravens have locked up the AFC North Championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference, the Steelers can clinch a Wild Card berth in Week 18. While they could be the team that could make the playoffs with a win or a tie, they can also clinch a berth regardless of the result of the game being officiated by Allen.

Back to last Saturday's game, the Lions were livid about Allen's call of Skipper being eligible. Head coach Dan Campbell said that he spoke to the officials and broke down the trick play involving Decker. Yet, when Decker and Skipper both approached Allen before the two-point play, it was No. 70 who was deemed eligible, and not No. 68. With that, it wiped out a game-winning play for the Lions.

With the win, the Cowboys can now clinch the NFC East Championship with a win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. As for the Lions, they were essentially eliminated from winning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with the loss to the Cowboys.

This isn't the first game that Allen and his officials were under scrutiny for. Back in the Week 13 game between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, Allen and the referees missed a crucial defensive pass interference penalty on cornerback Carrington Valentine, who was on the back of wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling before a deep pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes even arrived.

Steelers vs. Ravens is scheduled to kickoff at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, and air on ABC and ESPN. Hopefully, there will be no controversy late in the game.