By Colton Pouncy, Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf
What the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions lacked in scoring in Saturday night's meeting they made up for in momentum shifts, dramatic two-point conversion attempts and the pomp and atmosphere of a Ring of Honor introduction.
The Cowboys ended their two-game losing streak with a 20-19 victory over the Lions at AT&T Stadium, in which Detroit came up empty on three attempts to convert a two-point play in the final minute of the contest.
Trailing 20-13, the Lions marched 75 yards in 1:18 to get into the end zone on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown. After it appeared the Lions were taking the lead following a two-point pass from Goff to offensive lineman Taylor Decker, they were cited for illegal touching. It was ruled that Decker had failed to report as an eligible receiver before the game and the points were removed from the scoreboard. On Detroit's second two-point attempt, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons drew an offsides penalty that negated an interception. The third two-point attempt failed because Goff's pass to James Mitchell was incomplete.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said in the postgame press conference that officials told him the reason Decker was ineligible to play on the successful two-point conversion, which was negated by a penalty, was because two players could not register as eligible to participate.
According to NFL Rule 5, Section 3, Article 1, there is no limit to the number of players who can report eligibility for a given play.
When asked why the illegal contact penalty was called on the first attempt, referee Brad Allen replied that Decker did not report to him.
“In this particular game, number 70 (Dan Skipper), who had called out a few times during the game, declared himself eligible to play. He then lined up at the tackle position. So actually he didn't have to report at all. Number 68 (Decker), who eventually went offside and touched the pass, did not report. Therefore, he is ineligible to play if he touches a pass that goes over the line, making it a foul,” Allen said, according to a pool report. “The problem is that number 70 reported, number 68 didn’t.”
Allen also addressed the second flag thrown in the game.
“Because number 70 was reported eligible to play and it was covered up at the line of scrimmage, it is an illegal formation. So number 70 is in an illegal position because he is covered by the rule, and number 68 catches the pass, which is also illegal.”
After Detroit's third two-point attempt failed, Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb secured the victory by catching back the ensuing onside kick.
The final play capped a historic performance by Lamb, who broke the franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season and recorded the first 200-yard receiving game of his career. The 24-year-old has 1,651 receiving yards in 16 games this season after rushing for 227 yards against Detroit.
Lamb marched into the end zone for the first of two Dallas touchdowns on a 92-yard reception that unexpectedly slipped out of Dak Prescott's hands after it looked like the Cowboys quarterback would be beaten in the end zone. Prescott outran Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes to evade the safety and then completed the longest pass play for a touchdown this NFL season. It was the second-longest passing play in Dallas franchise history, just behind a 95-yard throw in 1966.
The Cowboys pulled off the thrilling victory in front of former coach Jimmy Johnson, who was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor at halftime.
What do the players say?
Should the Lions have tried again?
This will burn for a while. The Lions had a chance to win the game, but were charged with an illegal contact penalty on a two-point pass from Goff to Decker that would have given the Lions a lead late in the game. On the next play, the Cowboys were flagged for offside, giving the Lions a third and final appearance. At that point, perhaps the Lions should have kicked the extra point. But Campbell tried again and a pass from Goff to Mitchell was short and incomplete. That was your game. Campbell appeared visibly frustrated by the illegal touching call. They knew he would have some comments about it after the game. – Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
How Detroit performed
The Lions were excited to see how they would perform against one of the NFC's better teams. Despite the defeat, it turns out to be quite good. They held the Cowboys to almost 20 points below their home average. They defeated the Cowboys in Dallas, where the team had won 15 straight.
There are no moral victories, but if you wanted to see the Lions play at the level of an NFC contender, they did that tonight. Of course, there will be a lot to discuss: coaching decisions, game calls, etc. But overall, the Lions sided with the Cowboys. At least it should give them confidence for January. – Pouncy
The Cowboys will finish the regular season undefeated at home
It took a wild final minute, but the Cowboys will finish the regular season undefeated at home. You can thank the Lions for going for two after their last touchdown on three different occasions. In the end, the Cowboys found a way to end their two-game losing streak. It would be entertaining to see these two play again next month. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
Lamb's big day
There was no bigger star than Lamb on Saturday night. The Pro Bowl wide receiver had 13 receptions for 227 yards and one touchdown in his career. In the process, he set single-season franchise records for receptions and receiving yards. Both records were previously held by Michael Irvin, who was in attendance.
After Lamb wasn't targeted in the second and third quarters last week in Miami, it was clear he would be targeted early and often. – Machota
Ups and downs in Dallas
The Cowboys defense had a roller coaster night with some highs and some troubling lows. The highlights were the turnovers, namely the highlight-reel interceptions by Jourdan Lewis and Donovan Wilson. Wilson's interception, in particular, was a great play at a crucial moment that had the potential to end the game.
But after a few questionable plays on offense, the Lions had enough time to catch their breath. The Cowboys defense worked, and Goff methodically drove them down the field for a touchdown. – Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
Climax of the game
Required reading
(Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)