The Detroit Lions appear to have cheated the officials in their 20-19 Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Lions coach Dan Campbell discussed what happened after the game.
The Lions scored with 23 seconds left to put Dallas up 20-19. Detroit then attempted a two-point conversion in an elimination game. They built the transfer and the parts worked perfectly. Left tackle Taylor Decker was wide open in the end zone and caught a Jared Goff pass to give Detroit the lead. But officials threw a late flag for illegal contact because they said Decker was not reported eligible ( see details here ).
A video was later released showing Decker and #70 Dan Skipper (extra lineman) approaching official Brad Allen before the game. Campbell reported Skipper fit after the game and said he could not report either player as fit. “[Skipper] reported, but [Dekker] didn’t. It was a comment,” Campbell said.
Campbell said he talked to the umpires about the game plan before the game and prepared. Still, he said officials still make mistakes. What happens? On replays, official Allen #70 saw Skipper running onto the field and seemed to think Skipper was in shape. Allen was ranked no. Ready to notify the Cowboys that 70 was eligible, Decker tried to contact Allen.
