The Detroit Lions were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night due to an overturned two-point convert. However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell now has the authority to overturn the decision.
Under Rule 17, Section 2, the NFL rulebook gives the commissioner the authority to “take appropriate disciplinary/corrective measures” in cases such as Saturday night’s contentious illegal touching penalty, which reversed the Lions’ successful two-point conversion pass to tackle Taylor Decker in their eventual 20-19 loss to Dallas.
If a commissioner-led investigation into official Brad Allen’s call reveals that it was “extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics” and had “a major effect on the result of the game,” Roger Goodell has the authority to take action such as “the reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game, either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred.”
The penalty came after the Lions drove 75 yards in nine plays and scored with 23 seconds left on Jared Goff’s 11-yard TD pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, cutting the Cowboys’ advantage to 20-19.
Instead of kicking an extra point, which may have forced overtime, Lions head coach Dan Campbell chose a two-point convert.
On the contentious play, tackle Taylor Decker caught Goff’s throw in the back of the end zone, but Allen issued an improper touching penalty because, despite the Lions’ claims to the contrary, Decker did not check in as an eligible receiver.
Taylor Decker is seen on video conversing with official Brad Allen.
Video evidence shows Decker and tackles Penei Sewell and Dan Skipper approaching Allen before the play to speak with him. Allen claimed Skipper reported as an eligible receiver following the game. Skipper was on the right side of the line, next to Sewell, while Decker was on the left.
Campbell protested furiously on the field when Allen overturned Decker’s conversion, but to no avail, and immediately went for two again. Goff’s ball to St. Brown fell incomplete on the next play, but an offsides call on Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons gave the Lions a third chance, which also fell short when Goff’s pass to tight end James Mitchell fell incomplete.
Campbell said after the game that he outlined the play to the umpires before the game “to a tee.”
There’s additional footage of Campbell saying “I told you” at Allen after the penalty was called.
Only Roger Goodell has the authority to launch an investigation.
According to the NFL regulations, the commissioner’s decision to examine the call would be made on his own initiative, not in response to any Lions protests.
It remains to be seen what Roger Goodell will do, but based on the video footage, there appears to be a compelling enough case for the commissioner to act.
For the time being, the loss pushed the NFC North champion Lions from the No. 2 slot to the No. 3 seed in the NFC, jeopardizing their prospects of overcoming the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers.
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