NFL Ref Brad Allen Explains Controversial Lions Penalty on 2-Point Try vs. Cowboys

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Referee Brad Allen and the Detroit Lions gave differing accounts regarding a go-ahead two-point conversion that was wiped out by a penalty in Detroit’s 20-19 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.

After Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 23 seconds remaining, head coach Dan Campbell decided to go for two and the win rather than one and the tie.

It initially looked like Detroit converted on a tackle-eligible pass to Taylor Decker, but the Lions were called for illegal touching, as Allen announced that Decker had not reported as eligible.

Per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, Allen said offensive tackle Dan Skipper reported to him as eligible, but Decker didn’t, which is why the penalty was called.

Goff directly contradicted Allen’s assertion, telling reporters that Decker reported as eligible to officials and Skipper didn’t. Skipper also denied reporting as eligible after the game.

Decker declined to speak too much on the situation afterward other than saying he did “exactly what Coach told me to do.”

Video showed both Decker and Skipper approaching Allen before the play, and it appeared as though Allen and Decker had a conversation before Allen said something to the Cowboys’ defensive linemen.

Allen explained the interaction, saying: “That conversation is where [Skipper] reports to me, and I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them, ‘[Skipper] has reported as an eligible receiver,’ so they will be aware of who has reported.”

After the penalty was called, Campbell still opted to go for two rather than reversing course and attempting an extra point to potentially force overtime.

An offside call on Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons got the Lions some of the penalty yardage back, but Goff’s pass to tight end James Mitchell came up short, preserving Dallas’ 20-19 lead.

The Lions’ last-ditch effort after the failed two-point conversion was an onside kick, but the Cowboys recovered it to seal the win.

With the victory, Dallas snapped a two-game losing streak, improved to 11-5 and remained alive in the race for the NFC East title.

Meanwhile, the Lions dropped to 11-5 and severely hurt their chances of securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Still, the Lions have already clinched the NFC North, and they are guaranteed a home game in the first round of the playoffs, whereas the Cowboys will have to go on the road if they don’t win their division.