NFL refs left with egg on their faces after another mistake apparently decides outcome of vital prime time game

Saturday night's matchup between two playoff-bound teams — including the longtime powerhouse Dallas Cowboys and surprising upstart Detroit Lions — was supposed to be a showcase of the league's best and brightest stars. Instead, it became another embarrassing debacle focusing on the NFL's officiating, which appeared to once again shift the outcome of a vital game with what looked like a clear error.

The scenario unfolded after the Lions, who trailed 20-13 after the Cowboys kicked a field goal with 1:41 remaining in the game, capped a 75-yard two minute drill with an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown to pull within one point. Lions coach Dan Campbell opted to play for the win rather than overtime, and sent his team out to attempt a two-point conversion. On the play, Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker lined up as an eligible receiver, and eventually caught a pass from Goff to give the Lions an apparent 21-20 lead with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.

However, several seconds after the play was over, a flag fluttered in from referee Brad Allen, who claimed that Decker had not reported in as an eligible receiver, as required by NFL rules. The fact that Decker had allegedly not reported also made the formation illegal. Instead of a game-winning 2-point conversion, the Lions were instead awarded a penalty. On the ensuing try, the Cowboys stopped the Lions, but were ruled offsides. Detroit went for 2 yet again, and also failed the third attempt.

There's just one problem: a fairly voluminous amount of video evidence suggests that Decker did, in fact, declare himself eligible to the Allen before the play.

Video replays before the play show Goff grabbing Decker (number 68) by the arm and pointing toward the official, clearly telling him to check in as an eligible receiver.

Numerous other camera angles showed Decker walk up to Allen, who responded by nodding and going over to the Cowboys' defensive players and signaling that a Lions lineman had checked in as eligible.

Notably, Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper (number 70 in the above video) can be seen approaching Decker, but clearly after Allen has nodded at Decker and begun to approach the Cowboys players. Still, the fact that Skipper entered Allen's field of vision likely accounts for the chaos that unfolded.

After the game, Allen offered a pool reporter an extremely implausible account of what happened between himself and Decker, claiming that Skipper rather than Decker was reporting in as an eligible receiver.

Pool reporter Calvin Watkins asked Allen, "There was a player that went to you just before that play — it was Decker — and he was talking to you, two linemen, talking to you and then you went to the Cowboys defensive line to speak to them. What was that conversation about?"

Allen claims, "That conversation is where number 70 (Skipper) reports to me, and then I go to the defensive team, and I say to them, number 70 has reported as an eligible receiver,' so they will be aware of who reported, and then I return to my position."

However, the video replay seems to make very clear that Decker rather than Skipper reported, confirming the strenuous denials of Lions players after the game that anyone other than Decker reported in as eligible. Decker said that he did "exactly what coach told me to do," and Skipper denied reporting in as eligible, but declined to comment further, saying that he had "very few words that aren't going to get me fined." NFL players are subject to fines for public criticism of officiating.

Additionally, as noted by Allen himself, Skipper would not have even been required to report in as eligible on the play, raising the question of why he would have done so.

Allen's explanation was widely criticized both on Twitter and by the game's television announcers, who were in virtual disbelief over the call.

After the game, a clearly agitated Campbell said, "Would you be frustrated right now? I don't like losing, and that's what happened. We lost, and that bothers me. I don't like having an L, so that's the frustration."

The Lions, who won their first division title this year in three decades, are still headed for the playoffs, but their chances at a first round bye took a major hit with the loss. Meanwhile, the Cowboys kept their hopes for an NFC East title alive with the gifted win. The controversy overshadowed an electric performance from Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, who broke Michael Irvin's team record for receiving yards in a single season with a 227-yard performance.

The NFL has faced numerous officiating controversies over the last couple years in important games. A pair of controversial calls in week 7 appear to have tipped games in favor of the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving fans of the Colts and Rams fuming after their losses. The Chiefs were likewise irate after an unusual offsides call negated what would have been a game-winning touchdown in a game against the Buffalo Bills in week 14, but that call was ultimately validated by video replay.