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Analysts think Detroit Lions were robbed by refs against Cowboys: 'A crime was committed'

andrew birkle, detroit free press
·4 min read
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It's not just Detroit Lions fans who are upset with the way the game ended against the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night.

National analysts across social media were up in arms after the Lions had their go-ahead 2-point conversion wiped off the board by a penalty, leading to a 20-19 loss to the Cowboys.

In typical Lions fashion, the high-stakes, stand-alone game finished very controversially when left tackle Taylor Decker caught a pass in the endzone, seemingly putting the Lions in position to win the game.

However, the elation was quickly crushed when head referee Brad Allen anounced an illegal touching penalty on Decker.

After the game, Decker said he specifically told Allen that he was declaring as an elgible receiver, however, Allen said that Dan Skipper declared as an elgible receiver, despite Skipper seemingly never getting close enough to speak with the referee.

Lions fans watch a play against the Cowboys during the second half of the Lions' 20-19 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.
Lions fans watch a play against the Cowboys during the second half of the Lions' 20-19 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.

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Skipper said he never said a word to Allen, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell added in his postgame press conference that he went over all of the team's trick play with the refereeing crew before the game, but there was still seemingly a mix up.

When the penatly was called, Campbell decided to leave his offense on the field to attempt the 2-point play from roughly the 7-yard line. Goff was intercepted on the play, but Cowboys star Micah Parsons jumped offsides, giving the Lions another play. On the third try, Goff attempted a pass to tight end James Mitchell, but the throw was low and Mitchell was unable to grab the pass, effectively ending the game.

Had the play stood, the Lions would've been up by 1-point with 23 seconds left, but instead the Cowboys recovered an onside kick and took a knee to run out the clock.

After some initial confusing, including the ESPN broadcasting team who was also trying to figure out what happened, there was a heavy outpouring of backlash against the refs for getting the call wrong.

Analysts called the decision that likely cost the Lions any chance at the No. 1 seed unacceptable and said the Lions were robbed of a win.

You can view the responses to the controversial call below:

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Analysts think Detroit Lions were robbed by refs against Cowboys