Lions-Cowboys call likely to cost refs
JUNFU HAN/DETROIT FREE PRESS
There will likely be consequences for the officiating crew responsible for the controversial call at the end of the Detroit Lions’ 20-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
While appearing on “SportsCenter” on Dec. 31, ESPN reporter Adam Schefter said many of the officials on head referee Brad Allen’s crew will be “downgraded” for the fiasco the night before and likely won’t be involved in postseason games.
“Basically, I can tell you this, in the postseason, it’s going to be mixed crews, a large part of Brad Allen’s crew is not going to be officiating, they’re going to get downgraded,” Schefter said.
The controversial call in question happened when the Lions went for a two-point conversion with 23 seconds left in the game to take the lead. At first, all seemed fine and good when quarterback Jared Goff found left tackle Taylor Decker open in the end zone to take the lead. However, after a brief celebration, there was a flag thrown, and Allen announced an illegal touching penalty on the Lions because Decker did not report as an eligible receiver.
In the officials’ pool report after the game, Allen claimed offensive lineman Dan Skipper came to him and declared eligible, which is what he announced, but it seems he may have mixed the two offensive linemen up, as Skipper claims he never said a word to Allen, and video appears to show Decker speaking with Allen while Skipper jogged by.
The Lions ultimately were unsuccessful in two more attempts and lost the game 20-19.
This is not the first controversy Allen’s crew has been involved in, as Schefter pointed out. In a Week 13 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers on “Sunday Night Football,” Allen’s crew did not call a pass interference on a deep pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling when it looked like he was clearly interfered with, and the Chiefs ended up losing the game.
With the latest blunder, again coming in front of a nationally televised audience, Schefter said there will be consequences.
“The league has a huge issue here, where there’s a controversy over officiating,” Schefter said. “No matter who is right and who is wrong, it’s Sunday morning of Week 17 and we’re talking about whether the officials got a call right that threatens to impact the entire playoff picture. It’s ridiculous!”