Saturday night’s matchup between two playoff-bound teams — including the longtime powerhouse Dallas Cowboys and surprising upstart Detroit Lions — was supposed to be a showcase of the league’s best and brightest stars. Instead, it became another embarrassing debacle focusing on the NFL’s officiating, which appeared to once again shift the outcome of a vital game with what looked like a clear error.
The scenario unfolded after the Lions, who trailed 20-13 after the Cowboys kicked a field goal with 1:41 remaining in the game, capped a 75-yard two minute drill with an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown to pull within one point. Lions coach Dan Campbell opted to play for the win rather than overtime, and sent his team out to attempt a two-point conversion. On the play, Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker lined up as an eligible receiver, and eventually caught a pass from Goff to give the Lions an apparent 21-20 lead with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.
However, several seconds after the play was over, a flag fluttered in from referee Brad Allen, who claimed that Decker had not reported in as an eligible receiver, as required by NFL rules. The fact that Decker had allegedly not reported also made the formation illegal. Instead of a game-winning 2-point conversion, the Lions were instead awarded a penalty. On the ensuing try, the Cowboys stopped the Lions, but were ruled offsides. Detroit went for 2 yet again, and also failed the third attempt.
There’s just one problem: a fairly voluminous amount of video evidence suggests that Decker did, in fact, declare himself eligible to the Allen before the play.
Video replays before the play show Goff grabbing Decker (number 68) by the arm and pointing toward the official, clearly telling him to check in as an eligible receiver.
NFL is rigged. For real.