Lions got ripped off.

[EndlessWire]

The Chiefs are my team, but I like Goff. I feel like the Lions got ripped off by the Ref. Sure, you can't argue with the Ref. But, they have it on tape that the player went over to the Ref and said something.

It wouldn't have done any good to take a witness with them. The Ref can't be argued with, and the Ref said he didn't report in. I admired the gutsy play call of the Lions. To me they won the game. But, none of this makes any sense. How can you verify that you reported in? You can't. But, they have it on tape that the player went up to the Ref, something he otherwise would not have done.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. I was listening to Boston Sports (NBC/Boston)

and they said that the Lions sent 3 players to check in....all 3 were potentially eligible, so the thought was that they were trying to confuse the opposition.

[RainCaster]

2. I saw that too

It was wrong.

[Beachnutt]

3. It's the Republican way

Jerry Jones is a big Rethug.
If you can't win, Cheat .

[TwilightZone]

6. How is a potential officiating error Jones cheating?

That's an impressively ridiculous assertion.

[a kennedy]

4. I love the coach......wish the Packers had someone like him.

[BigOleDummy]

5. Agree 100%

The Lions were robbed by any measure.

[TwilightZone]

7. Two players went to the ref.

Campbell claims that one reported and the other was just pretending to report to confuse the defense.

The argument that the one the penalty was called on must have reported because he went to the ref kind of falls apart when Campbell said only one of the two was supposed to report. I'm not arguing that the correct one didn't report, just that it's not proof of anything in the context of what Campbell said.

[EarlG]

8. It was a no-win situation, (likely) caused by the refs

Two Lions players — Decker and Skipper — approached the ref to declare Decker as an eligible receiver. Skipper says he didn’t speak. But for some reason the ref announced Skipper as the eligible receiver, not Decker.

So even if you reverse the call and give the 2-point conversion to the Lions, the Cowboys would have gotten ripped off because they were defending Skipper (who they thought was eligible) instead of Decker (who they thought was ineligible). After all, the point of declaring eligibility is so that the defense knows who’s allowed to catch the ball and who isn’t.

It seems pretty clear that the ref messed up by announcing the wrong player as eligible, but either way, as soon as he did that and then let the play run, both teams were screwed.

[TwilightZone]

9. Right.

Campbell said that both players approached the ref to try to confuse the defense, which seems odd because it's publicly announced when a player reports eligible. Detroit apparently missed the announcement or didn't pay attention to it (also odd), and, as you noted, Dallas defended the player who was announced. Had the announcement been made correctly, they would have covered the "right" player.

[LisaM]

11. Dallas had double coverage on Decker.

And the Cowboys weren't complaining about a bad call at the time. After the play, they all looked as if they had lost, but nobody fussed about the eligibility or lineup at all.

Campbell said he specifically outlined this play to the officials before the game, so there is just no excuse. Brad Allen seems to be lying and he won't take responsibility for some reason.

But as officials will tell you, you can tell right after a play if there has been a mistake and Dallas was not jumping up and down.

You'd think at this point, officials would be on high alert to get things right for a Lions game that has significant consequences in the playoff picture.

[caraher]

13. Apparently Skipper had been reporting throughout the game on other plays

I do agree that you can't simply let the play stand, since Dallas was not told 68 was eligible.

It was actually Decker and Sewell who approached originally the ref, with Skipper coming in late.

Rex Ryan had a good explanation of what was going on. Yes, the ref tells the defense, but until he does they don't know which lineman reported. Apparently this is routine - if just one player goes to the ref, the defense has more time to adjust their coverage.

I've also heard that ordinarily, reporting can be as simple as catching the ref's eye and gesturing toward one's number. Decker went above and beyond.

[MichMan]

10. I'm hearing reports that the officiating team has been told they will not be working in any playoff games

If true, If the NFL is convinced that the refs were in the right, why did they rule them out from the playoffs?

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Here's One Of Those Reports

It's SI, but quote Schefter from ESPN.
https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news/dallas-cowboys-vs-detroit-lions-referees-reveals-punishment-brad-allen-officiating-crew-goofs-dan-campbell

[mnhtnbb]

14. Fu*k the Cowboys

Fu*k the Refs, Fu*k Texas and Fu*k the NFL.

I have no skin in the game, but I am familiar with liars and what they will do.