Getty Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff called out officials for their controversial decision to nullify Detroit's potential game-winning 2-point conversion.
Quarterback Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions made it very clear during his postgame press conference that he and his team had plenty of chances other than the final 2-point conversion to try and beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
But Goff also bluntly stated that the officials were wrong to nullify Detroit’s potential game-winning 2-point conversion because of an illegal touching penalty.
“It’s unfortunate that it came down to what it did,” Goff told reporters. “There was no, ‘the fix is in.’ It’s not that. They [officials] just messed it up. It happens, and it’s part of the game, but unfortunately, it happened on that play.”
After scoring a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining, the Lions elected to go for a 2-point conversion. Goff found left tackle Taylor Decker in the end zone, which appeared to give the Lions a 1-point lead.
But officials deemed Decker an ineligible receiver on the play, eliminating the score. Unable to convert the 2-point try again, the Cowboys held on to defeat the Lions, 20-19.
Lions’ Jared Goff Refers to Officials as ‘Confused’ After Two-Point Conversion Penalty
Goff remained professional yet answered very frankly while speaking to reporters about the controversial penalty called against the Lions on December 30. When asked about the conversation he had with officials during the game about the play, Goff referred to the officials as “pretty confused.”
Then, the quarterback laid out exactly what happened from his perspective.
“What I do know, and I don’t know if I’ll get fined for this, but I do know that Decker reported,” Goff told reporters. “I do know that Dan Skipper did not, and I do know that they said that Dan Skipper did. So it’s unfortunate.”
ESPN camera caught Goff telling Decker in the huddle to go report as an eligible receiver. Another ESPN camera, with an overhead view, shows Decker go up to referee Brad Allen to presumably report as eligible.
Goff confirmed that all of that happened.
In the end, that’s not how the officials saw it, and it cost the Lions 2 critical points.
“It sucks. It’s unfortunately, man,” Goff said. “I don’t know if I’ve had this feeling before where you feel like you won and you didn’t.”
Decker expressed a similar feeling, especially with the ESPN cameras supporting his case.
“Not much more I can add to it, just see the video evidence,” said Decker.
“I did exactly what coach told me to do. Went to the ref, said, ‘Report.'”
Lions’ Dan Campbell Frustrated Over Officials Decision to Nullify 2-Point Play
Campbell was far less diplomatic than his quarterback in his responses to the media about the 2-point play. The Lions head coach also appeared to grow more upset with the manner in which his team lost as his postgame press conference went.
“Would you be frustrated right now? I don’t like losing,” Campbell said to reporters. “That’s what happened. We lost, and that bothers me. That bothers me. I don’t like having an L.”
Campbell added that the officials explained that Dan Skipper reported as eligible, not Decker.
Allen confirmed that after the game.
“We had a situation where if you were going to have an ineligible number occupy an eligible position, you have to report that to the referee,” Allen told the PFWA pool reporter, via The Dallas News’ Calvin Watkins. “On this particular play, number 70 (Skipper), who had reported during the game a couple of times, reported to me as eligible. Then he lined up at the tackle position. So, actually, he didn’t have to report at all.
“Number 68 (Decker), who ended up going downfield and touching the pass, did not report. Therefore, he is an ineligible touching a pass that goes beyond the line, which makes it a foul. So, the issue is, number 70 did report, number 68 did not.”
Whether a fan thinks the Lions were robbed on the 2-point conversion try will depend on whether he or she believes Goff and Decker or Allen. The Lions and the officiating crew are telling different stories about the game’s most critical play.