The NFL is sticking to its original method of players announcing themselves to the referee about their eligibility during games. As per ESPN reports, the league committee sent a memo to all 32 teams after a controversial ruling in the Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions match on Week 17.
In the dying seconds at AT&T Stadium, the Lions closed the gap by scoring a touchdown. They lined up to convert the two-pointer, which would have given them an impressive road victory. Detroit scored, but the referee called it back, ruling offensive lineman Taylor Decker an illegal receiver.
Despite the ruling, the Lions still had two more chances to steal the win, but failed on both occasions. A pool report by head official Brad Allen after the game revealed Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper was the one who reported, not Decker.
This created a lot of tension after the game, as Lions head coach Dan Campbell was in disbelief at Allen’s decision. Campbell said he explained everything before the game about how they would approach situations similar to this. However, as per NBC Sports, Mike Florio reported that the league viewed the conundrum as the Lions trying to confuse the officials.
The league views the situation as an effort by the Lions to engage in deception and gamesmanship that backfired.
Florio reported
Even Campbell, in a later interview, revealed they aimed to confuse the Cowboys. A video showed both Decker and Skipper approaching Allen, and according to Campbell, it was an added layer of deception.
Basically, the Lions wanted the Cowboys to think Skipper was reporting as eligible and that Decker was not. That would have caused the Cowboys to cover Skipper, not Decker.
The NFL will not change the procedure for players reporting as eligible
It may make the Detroit crowd even more angry, but the league isn’t about to budge on their set rules. Players, as per usual, will be required to announce that they are eligible receivers before a play.
In the end, while attempting to confuse Dallas, the Lions confused the officials. But the referees themselves need to be more aware of the status of the players. As a result, the league will limit Allen and his crew’s participation in the playoffs.
That’s because it wasn’t the first time the same set of officials became the center of attention for a suspected ruling. In the Week 13 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, they awarded a timely pass interference in the Packers’ favor for them to snatch a win.