It happened on a massive stage, before a national television audience, in a game that was consequential for playoff seeding. When he was pressed for an explanation, he doubled down by describing a scenario that made no sense. This is what resonates about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s better than ever officiating, which has glitched and rebooted seemingly every few weeks this season.
So now we wake up Sunday morning — talking less about the history-making night of Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb, or the unbelievable final drive of Lions quarterback Jared Goff — and instead are left to dive into the mangled mess that unfolded with referee Brad Allen. By late Saturday night after the Cowboys hung on for a 20-19 win, there was the testimony of the Detroit Lions, who not-so-carefully pointed a finger at Allen blowing his job. There was a litany of video angles that appeared to back up their testimony. Then there was Allen effectively accusing the Lions of lying.
Without launching a full-blown Warren Commission on it, here is a thumbnail of what happened, before we get to why it’s so problematic for the NFL.
After mounting a nine-play, 72-yard drive — in a mere 79 seconds — the Lions scored a touchdown that pulled them to a 20-19 deficit against the Cowboys. Rather than kick the extra point, Detroit instead chose to go for a win with a 2-point conversion and only 23 seconds left in regulation. What happened next is where everything went off the rails.
Video showed Goff grabbing offensive tackle Taylor Decker in the huddle and directing him toward referee Brad Allen. Footage from different angles then showed Decker and fellow offensive tackle Dan Skipper approaching Allen for what looked like a verbal exchange. Decker says he reported as an eligible receiver on the play. Skipper says he didn’t speak. After the trio separated, the crew announced that Skipper had reported as an eligible receiver. But instead of Skipper lining up in what was essentially the tight end spot, he lined up at tackle, and Decker lined up in a spot that would have made him an eligible receiver on the play. Detroit snapped the ball, then lobbed a pass to Decker in the end zone for what appeared to be a potentially game-winning 2-point conversion.
Leave a Reply