Taylor Decker has lived a dream and nightmare in the last two games for the Detroit Lions.
The veteran offensive lineman shed tears after tasting his first NFC North title in Week 16, ending eight seasons of mediocrity and falling short. He then scored off a reception on a two-point try that lifted his team to a 21-20 lead with 23 seconds left against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.
Yet, it became a much-debated discussion online due to a controversial penalty.
What Taylor Decker Got Penalized for in Lions’ Loss to Cowboys
The drama began with under two minutes left at AT&T Stadium.
Jared Goff, attempting to work some magic after throwing two interceptions earlier in the contest, drove the Lions all the way to the red zone. He found Amon-Ra St. Brown for 11 yards on this score, with the Lions needing just an extra point to potentially force overtime with 23 seconds to go.
The #Lions come back and get the TD… and they’re going for 2 and the lead❕ pic.twitter.com/0zs3uug0cn
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 31, 2023
That was when Decker found a way to sneak behind the Cowboys and earn any offensive lineman’s dream: Scoring the winning points.
UNREAL 😱
The Lions get the 2-point conversion but gets called back because Taylor Decker didn't report as eligible 😳pic.twitter.com/lwm23tCYTi
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 31, 2023
But along came this nightmarish scenario: Decker was deemed an ineligible receiver on that two-point try, and illegal touching was called. That decision wiped away the potential winning points for the aggressive Lions.
Play designs where there’s an extra offensive lineman as a receiver option are, by rule, only legal if that player self-reports to the officials as an eligible pass catcher.
Many went to social media to address whether Decker did indeed report to the refs.
Former Lions QB Dan Orlovsky Among Those Questioning the Call
Ex-Lions quarterback turned ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky was among those who reacted to the bizarre call.
“Why would Decker walk up to the official and not report?” Orlovsky asked in a clip that shows Decker walking up to the official. “It makes no sense to me why he would leave the huddle, walk up, and not say anything?”
Why would Decker walk up to official and not report?
I guess maybe he didn’t but odd to walk there and not no? pic.twitter.com/QX3s2byAL3
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 31, 2023
ESPN cameras then showed a closer angle, with Goff directing Decker to the refs.
Decker appeared to talk to the head umpire as the additional lineman checked in.
What the right call made on the #Lions’ initial two-point conversion🤔 pic.twitter.com/VFITQdDCPS
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 31, 2023
Former NFL offensive lineman and Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl winner Andrew Whitworth became another who questioned the referee’s judgment call.
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“Why do they keep saying he wasn’t covered so it’s penalty? If he reported eligible. The correct thing would be for him to be uncovered,” Whitworth posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Former Ref Offers Explanation of Debated Decker Call
The root of the confusion was this: Dan Skipper, No. 70 next to Decker, was the one reporting as the eligible player from the eyes of ESPN NFL officiating rules expert John Parry.
“I don’t think Brad Allen (referee) ever recognized Decker. I think he sees No. 70 come off the bench, and he follows him all the way into the line of scrimmage. Decker tried to get to him and say ‘me too,’ but my guess is by the way he is looking, there is no acknowledgment,” Parry detailed to ESPN’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Regardless, that call would’ve made Decker the Lions’ hero of the evening — plus make head coach Dan Campbell look like an aggressive genius for bypassing the extra point and turning to his rare red-zone target discovery. Instead, Campbell was in a heated mood with reporters.
“Would you be frustrated right now? I don’t like losing,” Campbell said when asked why he was frustrated. “That’s what happened. We lost. That bothers me. It bothers me. I don’t like having an L. That’s the frustration. I’m sorry. I don’t mean it at you.”
Campbell then stormed away from the podium.
What was Decker’s explanation? He had his moment to address the situation after the loss.
“All I want to really say on it, just so I won’t get myself into trouble, is I did exactly what coach told me to do: I went to the refs to self-report,” Decker told reporters in the locker room. “Dan brings up the possibilities of those kind of plays pregame. I did what I was told to do, and we did it in practice all week.”
#Lions Taylor Decker: “I did what I was told to do.” pic.twitter.com/nAniCMAZIh
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) December 31, 2023
Official Pool Report From Referee Brad Allen
In the official pool report released after the game by Calvin Watkins of the Pro Football Writers Association, Allen stated the following when asked why a penalty was called on the two-point conversion for an illegal touch.
“So, we had a situation where if you were going to have an ineligible number occupy an eligible position, you have to report that to the referee. On this particular play, number 70, who had reported during the game a couple of times, reported to me as eligible. Then he lined up at the tackle position.
“So, actually, he didn’t have to report at all. Number 68, who ended up going downfield and touching the pass, did not report. Therefore, he is an ineligible touching a pass that goes beyond the line, which makes it a foul. So, the issue is, number 70 did report, number 68 did not.”
Watkins followed up with a question regarding the video angle that showed Decker talking to Allen and then Allen going to the Cowboys’ defensive line to speak to them.
Allen responded, “That conversation is where number 70 reports to me, and I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them ‘Number 70 has reported as an eligible receiver,’ so they will be aware of who has reported and then I return to my position. That was the conversation with the defensive line.”
Regarding the two flags that were thrown on that play and whether that meant there was a second penalty, Allen said, “Yes. Because number 70 reported as eligible and he was covered up on the line of scrimmage, that makes it an illegal formation. So, number 70 is in an illegal position because he is covered up by rule, and number 68 catches the pass, which is also illegal.”
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