Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions needed a win against the Dallas Cowboys to stay alive in the race for the No.1 seed with the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Though they had already clinched the NFC North, the stakes were massive at Arlington.
Jared Goff led a sensational two-minute drive and the Lions scored a touchdown to trail 20-19. Without hesitation, Campbell decided to go for the 2-point conversion to take the lead. There were only 23 seconds left on the clock.
Then, a massive controversy shocked the NFL. Taylor Decker caught the pass to put the score 21-20, but, referee Brad Allen called a penalty for ineligible receiver. Though the offensive tackle reported, Allen confused the numbers and thought the one who reported was Dan Skipper.
As a consequence, the Lions lost the game and have no chance at home-field advantage during the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Cowboys now control their destiny to win the NFC East. That’s why, Dan Campbell was furious in the press conference.
Dan Campbell explains controversial call in the game between Lions and Cowboys
After a crushing loss against the Dallas Cowboys, head coach Dan Campbell gave his opinion about the most controversial play of the season in the NFL. As expected, he was visibly upset.
“The explanation was that 70 (Dan Skipper) reported. Two people can’t report. I don’t want to talk about it. All right? I explained everything pregame to a tee. I did that. 70 reported. 68 (Taylor Decker) didn’t. That was the explanation.”
In a very brief conference, Campbell lost his temper when reporters insisted on where his frustration came from. “Would you be frustrated right now? I don’t like losing, Dave. That’s what happened. We lost. That bothers me. That’s the frustration.”
NFL explained what happened in controversial call against the Detroit Lions
Brad Allen, the referee in charge of the officiating crew in the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions had an incredible explanation for what happened considering all the evidence.
“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.”