Lions’ loss after ref’s controversial call leads to confusion and an irate Dan Campbell

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dan Campbell was irate. Players were confused, left with little explanation. The locker room was somber.

A game the Detroit Lions felt was theirs for the taking was taken away before they could even enjoy it.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” said a visibly frustrated Campbell after a 20-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys Saturday evening.

Where to start, where to start? Maybe 2015, when these teams met in the playoffs and the officials picked up a flag for pass interference against the Cowboys in a crucial moment — one Detroit fans won’t soon forget. Maybe 1930, the franchise’s first year in the NFL? Situations like this seem to follow the Lions through the years.

Some good options here, but let’s start with 1:41 left to go in Saturday’s game.

The Lions, previously trailing 20-13, had marched down the field with less than two minutes to go. It was easily their best drive of the game, in a game where points were hard to come by. In need of a touchdown, quarterback Jared Goff found wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for 6 points, with less than 30 seconds left in regulation. Cowboys 20, Lions 19.

Instead of going for the tie and a chance for overtime, however, the Lions kept their offense on the field for a 2-point conversion try. If you know Campbell, you weren’t surprised by the decision. He routinely puts the ball in the hands of his offense, asking them to win the game. A successful try would’ve put Detroit up 21-20, perhaps sending a statement to the league before the playoffs.

“I told the offense that we were going down — 1:41 left — that we would go down and score and that we were going to go for two and finish this game out,” Campbell said. “I told them that.”

It almost happened, just as Campbell told his players. The Lions took the lead. They were 23 seconds away from taking down the Dallas Cowboys, winners of 15 in a row at AT&T Stadium, letting the NFL know they were ready for their playoff close-up.

That lasted about, say, 20 seconds.

Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, No. 68, was on the receiving end of a 2-point try from Goff. A gutsy call from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, one that fooled the Cowboys. Maybe the refs, too. After initially ruling it complete, a flag was thrown.

“There was illegal touching by No. 68,” referee Brad Allen said on the mic. “Did not report as eligible. Five-yard penalty.”

So, let’s go back. When the offense took the field, the officials reported tackle Dan Skipper, who routinely enters the game as a sixth lineman, as an eligible receiver. Allen announced Skipper as an eligible receiver on the mic before the play. Those in the press box heard it. The problem? The Lions say Skipper never reported as eligible.

The Lions instead said that Decker did, in fact, report as eligible. There’s video of Decker approaching Allen before the snap, as Skipper runs onto the field in the background. Skipper isn’t close particularly close to Allen. And yet, the flag was thrown on Decker for not reporting and illegally touching the ball, with the officials under the impression that Skipper was the only lineman eligible.

In the locker room after the game, Skipper emerged from the showers and was immediately surrounded by reporters. As he got dressed near his locker, he told the scrum he would not comment beyond a few words, but he made sure to make them count.

“I did not say a word to the ref,” Skipper said. “I’d like to not f—ing get fined.” He then continued getting dressed, and walked to the bus.

These comments, and more from others, have led to a game of cat and mouse of seismic proportions.

In the NFL, head coaches will often share the thought process behind certain plays — more complicated plays — with officials before the game. The hope is that no one is caught off guard when the moment arrives to break them out. Decker said it was his understanding that Campbell had a conversation with the officiating crew before the game about that specific play. He said he did everything required of him. Campbell, during an emotional postgame news conference that lasted roughly three minutes, alluded to the fact that this play was discussed with the crew before the game.

“I explained everything pregame, to a T,” Campbell said. “OK? I did that.”

A video shared by WXYZ Detroit’s Brad Galli shows footage of Campbell talking to officials after the nullified 2-point conversion, saying: “I told you.”

This is how Allen described the situation to Calvin Watkins, the Dallas Morning News’ Cowboys reporter, for the postgame pool report.

“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,” Allen said. “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.”

Seems simple enough, except that the Lions vehemently disagreed with the root of Allen’s comments.

“What I do know — and I don’t know if I’ll get fined for this — but I do know that Decker reported, and I do know that Dan Skipper did not, and I do know that they said that Dan Skipper did,” Goff said after the game. “So, it’s unfortunate.”

“All I really wanna say on it, just so I don’t get myself into trouble, is, I mean, I did exactly what coach told me to do,” Decker said. “I went to the ref, said ‘report’ and, uh, yeah. It was my understanding, too, that Dan brings up the possibility of those sorts of plays pregame. Did what I was told to do, did what we did in practice all week and, I mean, that’s probably all I really want to touch on with that.”

So, then, what happened? Did Allen simply assume Skipper was reporting as eligible when he took the field? Did Decker not do a good enough job announcing his report? Were the Lions hoping to be subtle about the move, maybe too subtle? Or did the officials just get this one wrong?

Perhaps more details will come with time. But after the Lions failed to convert the 2-point conversion on two additional attempts, the game was over. Nothing we learn later will change the final outcome: a loss for Detroit.

The win keeps Dallas (11-5) in the hunt to win the NFC East, while likely takes the Lions (11-5) out of the race for the No. 1 or 2 seeds. Per the New York Times’ playoff simulator, a win would’ve given the Lions a roughly 60 percent shot at the No. 2 seed, prior to Sunday’s games. The loss drops that figure to just 2 percent.

The ending will undoubtedly overshadow a game that should give Detroit confidence as it prepares for the playoffs. The Lions’ defense came to play, on the road, in a hostile environment. It held Dallas nearly 20 points below its scoring average at home, and got stop after stop. The offense, while clearly not performing to its standard, went 75 yards in a little over a minute of action against one the league’s tougher defenses for a shot at a win. The Cowboys had a 15-game home winning streak entering Saturday. The Lions are well past the moral victories stage of the rebuild, but they’re aware they can stack up with just about any team.

“We knew that from the jump,” linebacker Derrick Barnes said. “It’s a good team out there, but we know what we’re about and and what it took for us to get here. We obviously respect our opponent, but you know, we’re looking to win every game. Every time we go out there, we’re preparing to win.”

“I’d rather beat them in the playoffs anyway,” defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “So, that’s kind of my mentality. Have a short memory with this one, but just keep in mind that, you know, let’s try to beat ’em when it counts.”

(Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)