The Dallas Cowboys survived three late two-point conversion tries to beat the Detroit Lions 20-19 on Saturday night in a frantic and contentious finish.
The Lions had closed the gap on the Cowboys to one score when Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for a touchdown pass with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Lions’ first attempt, opting for a two-point convert, consisted of Goff throwing a pass to offensive tackle Taylor Decker, only for the offensive tackle to be deemed an ineligible receiver, despite video footage appearing to show him checking in with a referee before to the unsuccessful attempt. On the sideline, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was outraged at the ‘illegal touching’ call.
‘I don’t want to talk about it. I explain everything pre-game, to a T. I did that. 70 reported, 68 didn’t, we threw it to 68, that was the explanation,’ Campbell said after the game.
‘I told the offense: we were going down, 1:41 left, we were going to score and then go for two and finish this game. I told them that. So that’s what we were doing.’
‘I told the offense: we were going down, 1:41 remaining, we were going to score, then go for two, and finish this game,’ he said. That’s what I told them. That’s exactly what we were doing.’
After Saturday’s game in Dallas, Decker was more reserved than his head coach, telling reporters that he ‘went to the ref, said report, and I don’t know.’
‘So I did what I was taught to do, we did it how we did it in practice all week, and that’s probably all I’m going to touch on with that,’ he added, adding that his quarterback told him to go: ‘Yeah. I mean, there’s really much else I can say…just look at the video evidence.’
Goff was as perplexed as Decker after the Cowboys ended Detroit’s two-game winning streak.
‘Pretty perplexed,’ he admitted. ‘What I do know, and I’m not sure if I’ll be fined for it. But I am aware that Decker filed a report. Dan Skipper, on the other hand, did not. And I know they said Dan Skipper did it.’
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott passed for 345 yards and two touchdowns, including a 92-yard strike to CeeDee Lamb, who had a career-high 227 yards receiving.
Lamb’s touchdown pass was the second-longest in club history, trailing only a 95-yard hookup between two more ring of honor members, Don Meredith and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Bob Hayes, in 1966.
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The NFC North champion Lions (11-5) went for the win after entering the game hoping to earn one of the top two NFC spots.
The Cowboys (11-5) have a chance to win the NFC East if division leader Philadelphia loses at least once in the last two games.
Goff ended 19-34 for 271 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and David Montgomery scored.
