Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys controversy: What happened with Taylor Decker, Dan Skipper

If the Lions never had to play another game at AT&T Stadium it would be too soon.

Nine years after the Lions lost a playoff game to the Dallas Cowboys after officials picked up a penalty flag for pass interference, they suffered another gut punch at the hands of officials. Jared Goff rallied the Lions to a touchdown with 23 seconds to play only to have the go-ahead 2-point conversion nullified by an illegal touching penalty on left tackle Taylor Decker. The Lions failed on two more 2-point attempts, including an interception that was nullified by an offsides penalty on Dallas, and the Cowboys recovered the ensuing onside kick for a controversial 20-19 victory. At issue on the Lions’ first 2-point play — a pass from Goff to Decker that appeared to give the Lions a one-point lead — was which offensive lineman reported as an eligible receiver.

Decker said afterward that he went to referee Brad Allen and declared himself eligible, and video of the moments before the play show Decker and right tackle Penei Sewell approaching Allen behind the line of scrimmage as swing tackle Dan Skipper ran on the field as an extra offensive lineman, which he had done several times during the game.

Allen announced that Skipper was eligible before the play, and he reiterated that account in a pool interview after the game. Lions coach Dan Campbell, beyond incensed after the penalty, said days later he initially did not hear Allen announce that Skipper was the eligible receiver because of the crowd noise — plenty from thousands of Lions fans on this Saturday night — and had no recourse to change the play once he realized that happened because he was out of timeouts.

Video also showed that before the Lions huddled, quarterback Jared Goff approached Decker, put his arm on him, said something and pointed him in the direction of the referee. Goff said he told Decker to report as eligible and that he did. Decker insisted that he did.

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

Goff, who argued voraciously against the penalty as officials huddled to discuss it on the field, said he was “pretty confused” when he saw the flag on the ground.

“What I do know, and I don’t know if I’ll get fined for this, but I do know that Decker reported, I do know that Dan Skipper did not and I do know that they said that Dan Skipper did,” he said. “It’s unfortunate.”

Video also showed that as Decker and Sewell reached Allen, standing at the 15-yard line on the right hash mark, the referee’s focus appeared to be on Skipper jogging in his direction from off the field. With Skipper still more than five yards away, Allen turned away and started jogging along the hash mark toward the Cowboys. At one point, Decker and Sewell were right in Allen’s face, although he did not appear to acknowledge their presence; Skipper never was within two yards of Allen. Campbell said the Lions had three linemen approach Allen during the reporting process to confuse the Cowboys. Skipper (No. 70) had reported eligible previously, and Decker (No. 68) and Sewell (No. 58) wore similar numbers.

Two days later, Campbell explained the strategy: “If you’re running a play like that and 70 is your jumbo tight end and they know that because that’s what he does for you, and then you’re going to decide you’re going to make 68 eligible and he walks over to the ref and then the ref stands over 68 before the play and they hold the ball and they stand over and point at him, do you think you’re going to be able to throw the ball to 68?

“No, so it’s about eligibility. That’s what it’s about. And it has nothing to do with the ref. The ref knows. He knows, because 68 reported. It’s for the defense so that they see three different people, and you’re just hoping they happen to not hear that it’s 70. That’s all.”

The NFL sent a teaching video and memo to teams intimating that Skipper was in the wrong because of a hand gesture he made while jogging onto the field. Skipper, though, said he was simply signaling a change in personnel.

“So personnel, you signal in,” Skipper said at midweek. “I wasn’t like this.” He wiped his numbers with his hands. “I was not doing that. I was doing this, signaling 12 jumbo.” He held one arm up and the other by his stomach with two fingers out, meaning the formation would include two tight ends. “Everyone who’s played at this level, I’m sure all you guys know, that you signal in personnel.”

What happened after the penalty?

The Lions (11-5) still had chances to win after the penalty and end the Cowboys’ 15-game home winning streak.

Rather than attempt the tying extra point, the Lions kept their offense on the field to go for two from the 7-yard line, a decision Campbell explained as, “We were going for the win.”

Wide receiver Kalif Raymond was open in the back of the end zone on the second 2-point attempt, but Goff was hit as he threw by Osa Odighizuwa, and Markquese Bell intercepted the pass on the goal line.