Refs' Late Penalty on Lions Draws NFL Fans' Ire in DET's Loss vs. Cowboys

One of the more chaotic finishes this NFL season took place on Saturday to help cap the Dallas Cowboys' 20-19 win over the Detroit Lions.

Down 20-13 with no timeouts and 1:41 remaining in regulation, the Lions took advantage of a soft Cowboys coverage by trotting 75 yards down the field and scoring after Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

With 23 seconds remaining, the Lions decided to go for the jugular and set up for a two-point conversion. Goff found offensive tackle Taylor Decker for the two-point conversion, and the Lions went up 21-20, for mere moments.

After an officials' discussion, referee Brad Allen called Decker for an illegal touch, leading to a five-yard Lions penalty. On the Lions' second attempt, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was called for offsides, leading to a third opportunity. That last one fell short, the Cowboys recovered an onside kick, and that was the ballgame.

Afterward, confusion reigned. Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that referees claimed No. 70 (Dan Skipper) and not No. 68 (Decker) reported as eligible. Skipper told reporters postgame that he did not report as eligible.

Campbell also said he explained to referees pregame what the Lions would do "to a T."

Meanwhile, Decker said he reported as was told (overhead video showed Decker heading over to the official before the play, with Skipper later briefly joining alongside him).

Quarterback Jared Goff told reporters that he asked Decker to report as an eligible receiver to officials before the play.

In the pool report obtained by the Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins, Allen said Skipper (No. 70) reported and that Decker (No. 68) did not.

There are a few theories and conclusions on the matter:

Ultimately, NFL fans were rather displeased with how things went down.

Both teams have one game remaining before playoffs. Detroit will host the Minnesota Vikings to close the regular season, while the Dallas Cowboys will visit the Washington Commanders.