The 49ers' pursuit of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs may have been helped by NFL referees, of all people, who made a controversial decision late in the Dallas Cowboys' 20-19 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.
After a touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave Detroit a point at AT&T Stadium, Lions coach Dan Campbell boldly called for a two-point conversion and the win . It also worked when offensive lineman Taylor Decker fielded a pass from Goff on a trick play.
However, this didn't count as the referees ruled it illegal to touch Decker, who they said had failed to report him as an eligible receiver. The Lions protested unsuccessfully and ultimately failed to convert the two-point attempt, losing the game bitterly.
After the Lions fell to 11-5, the 49ers (11-4) can now clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed on Sunday if they beat the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) lose to the Arizona Cardinals.
However, let's try to break down exactly what happened at the end of the Lions-Cowboys game:
1. Before the game, Goff sent Decker, wearing number 68, to head referee Brad Allen to report him as an eligible receiver. Fellow lineman Dan Skipper, who wears number 70, also ran to the referee after Decker was already there.
Since the referees said it was No. 70 and not No. 68 who declared himself eligible to play, the formation in the game was also illegal. If the numbers were swapped, as the Lions claimed, the game would have stood (Josh Reynolds, who was standing next to Decker, was away from the ball and properly aligned).
2. After the flag was raised, Allen told Campbell that #70, not #68, had reported. Campbell said in his postgame presser that he had gone through the play to the umpires “down to the tee” before the game.
3. Skipper said after the game that he did not report to the referees. Decker, who said he was reporting, also said he understood that Campbell explained the play to the referees before the game.
4. Goff also said that Skipper didn't come forward, but Decker did.
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“I don't know if I'll be fined for this, but I know Decker has filed a report. I know Dan Skipper didn’t do this.”
– Lions quarterback Jared Goff on the illegal contact penalty pic.twitter.com/z0NWaoUo22
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 31, 2023
5. Allen spoke with Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News after the game and maintained that No. 70 (Skipper) and not No. 68 (Decker) was declared eligible to play.
In summary, the Lions claimed they discussed the play with the referees before the game and then properly executed it during the game, hence the Decker catch. But because the referees said another lineman had called, the score didn't count.
Allen was also part of the refereeing team that missed a blatant defensive pass interference call that would have helped the Kansas City Chiefs in their 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 3.
Both the Lions and Cowboys are now 11-5 after the controversial result. Had there been a two-point conversion, Dallas would have fallen behind 21-20 with 23 seconds left. Of course, how this situation unfolded and how it could have changed the 49ers' playoff picture will never be known.
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