The Lions-Cowboys' fateful two-point game, which was overturned due to an ineligibility penalty, remains one of the biggest stories in the NFL. Many Lions fans believe the officials accidentally or intentionally screwed up the situation.
But there remains a very important question that has not yet been answered. Before the game, did coach Dan Campbell discuss the game itself with members of the refereeing team, or did he discuss with them the way the Lions tried to confuse the Cowboys by having three different linemen address referee Brad Allen before the players went to them? the line of scrimmage.
During Campbell's press conference on Monday, it became clear that he had no interest in revisiting the situation. As a result, no one could address the specific question of whether the pregame statement included a discussion about trying to make the Cowboys believe that someone other than tackle Taylor Decker was authorized to catch the pass, which if deemed legal would do this would have won the game.
However, it is clear that the Lions wanted to deceive the Cowboys.
“It’s about suitability,” Campbell told reporters. “It's all about this. And it has nothing to do with the referee. The referee knows it. He knows. Because 68 registered. It's for defense so they see three different people. And you just hope they don't hear that it's 70 [who isn’t eligible]. That's all.”
That's all, but that's all. By having both Decker and tackle Penei Sewell approach referee Brad Allen from one direction, while the Lions' usual jumbo tight end Dan Skipper ran from the sideline and approached Allen as if Skipper would declare himself eligible to play, they hoped the Lions that the Cowboys would lose track of which player was actually eligible to play.
The problem is that in their effort to fool the Cowboys, the Lions also fooled Allen.
And while Campbell wasn't asked the specific question of whether pregame communications included a statement that they intended to play a shell game with the Cowboys, Campbell's comments on his statement to officials focused only on the game itself.
“I had it on a piece of paper,” Campbell said of the pregame meeting, which Allen (as PFT reported) did not attend in person. “Our piece. What our players have. I can only talk about it. That’s all I can do.”
But he could have done more. He could have said to the officials, “When we make this play, we want the Cowboys to believe that 70 points are in question, not 68. So we're going to have three people address the referee, and we hope so.” The defense realizes not which man is actually in question. It will look like it’s 70, but it’s actually 68.”
As explained today, it is difficult to imagine a head coach basically recruiting officials to agree to such a ruse. The Lions took the risk that having three players approach Allen — including the usual jumbo tight end who ran not to the huddle or the line but directly toward Allen — would confuse both the Cowboys and the referee.
That's exactly what happened. For the league, it was deception and playmaking. And ultimately, the Lions confused the Cowboys too much because Skipper's part of the ruse made Allen think that the Lions' usual jumbo tight end was reporting eligibility. So Skipper ran straight towards Allen from the sideline.
Campbell said he wouldn't do anything differently if he did it again.
“I don’t have any time off,” Campbell said. “I mean, there’s nothing I can do, you know? And it's loud. You can't hear anything. Not where we were, you know? I think right from the start of the piece you realized they were 70 years old [as eligible]. So it is what it is.”
It was simply an attempt to hide the fact that Decker was legitimate. It was an attempt to make the Cowboys believe Skipper was eligible to play.
And it worked. Too good.