One of the biggest storylines of the Dallas Cowboys’ 20-19 win against the Detroit Lions came within the final 30 seconds of the game.
What Happened at the End of Cowboys/Lions?
The Cowboys’ defense managed to hold the Jared Goff-led offense to 13 points throughout the first three quarters. However, with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter, Goff led the Lions down the field to score a touchdown in nine plays for 75 yards.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell decided to go for the two-point conversion after the 11-yard touchdown. If successfully done, it would have given the Lions a one-point lead with 23 seconds left on the clock for the Cowboys to retake possession of the ball.
Seems easy enough, right? Well, the Lions had three attempts at a successful two-point conversion, which led to one of the biggest storylines of the game.
The first attempt was successful, but the officials threw a flag, which was a penalty called on Taylor Decker for an illegal touch, believing they didn’t think he was an eligible receiver on the play. However, at some point, there was confusion about whether the officials said Dan Skipper was eligible and not Decker — this is where the end-of-game controversy lies.
The second attempt would put the Lions on the 7-yard line and was unsuccessful because Markquese Bell got an interception off of Goff. This was short-lived, as a penalty was called on Micah Parsons for offsides.
So that led to the Lions’ third and final attempt, which was unsuccessful because of an incomplete pass to James Mitchell.
Where the Confusion Came From
This seemed straightforward but became complicated when the officials were questioned more about what happened on the first attempt.
As it turns out, there was more to the story than initially believed.
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The Dallas Morning News posted the Pool Report after the game with an interview with Brad Allen, the lead official in the game.
Cowboys-Lions pool report: pic.twitter.com/RTBq4iZgmt
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 31, 2023
According to Allen, Decker did not report to the officials, making his catch a foul. Skipper reported to the refs, not Decker, who needed to. Skipper didn’t actually need to report to the refs that he was eligible.
Allen says he told the Cowboys’ defense that Skipper had reported as an eligible receiver before going back to his position, which is standard protocol.
However, the real kicker is that even if the illegal touch penalty weren’t called on Decker, there still would have been a foul on the play.
Allen mentioned two flags were actually drawn on that play, one for the illegal touch by Decker and the other for an illegal formation.
Allen said that Skipper covered up the line of scrimmage (and it should be covered by up by a receiver, not an o-lineman covering up the line of scrimmage), which also would have ended the two-point conversion attempt with a penalty flag.
Coaches Reactions
Lions head coach Dan Campbell wasn’t happy in his postgame press conference and was short with his answers regarding what happened.
“Two people can’t report. I don’t want to talk about it. I explain everything pregame to a tee, ok? I did that. [Decker] reported. [Skipper] didn’t. We threw it to [Decker]. That was the explanation,” said Campbell.
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Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy gave Campbell credit for his aggression in trying the two-point conversions three times in a row.
“Defense had the big takeaways and the two-point. That was a two-point extravaganza that looked like training camp. Line up and go at it for three or four plays. So just a great, great fight and finish for both teams,” said McCarthy.
Cowboys Defense Bounces Back
After putting the nail in the coffin against the Dolphins, the Cowboys’ defense did all they could to win this game.
Although they allowed Goff to lead the offense down the field that late in the game, there was an effort to put pressure on Goff and generate turnovers constantly throughout the game.
The unit held the Lions’ offense to 125 rushing yards, 302 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.
Considering the time of possession battle was pretty much even for both teams, the defense bent but didn’t break.
They had four pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack throughout the game.
This is a step in the right direction after two uncharacteristic weeks of not generating turnovers in back-to-back losses for the Cowboys.
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