Soccerforall24

NFL blaming Lions for 2-point fiasco, won’t change the….

January 6, 2024 Soccerforall24

If you were hoping for a full-fledged apology from the NFL for the fiasco that was the end of the Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys game, I’m going to need you to sit down for a moment. Because the NFL is going in the exact opposite direction.

Per Pro Football Talk, the NFL has no intention of changing the process of players reporting as eligible. The reasoning why? They’re essentially blaming the Lions for confusing the officials. Mike Florio has more:

“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL does not plan to change the procedure for players reporting as eligible. The league views the situation as an effort by the Lions to engage in deception and gamesmanship that backfired.”

That’s right. The NFL is going full heel and blaming the Lions for the clear officiating error.

Their argument is, essentially, that by sending three offensive linemen towards the ref—in an effort to mask their intentions from the Cowboys—they set up head official Brad Allen to fail in a loud and chaotic environment. After the game, Allen was insistent that it was Dan Skipper (referred to as No. 70) who reported as eligible, not Taylor Decker (No. 68).

“On this particular play, No. 70, who had reported during the game a couple of times, reported to me as eligible,” Allen said per the post-game pool report. “Then he lined up at the tackle position. So, actually, he didn’t have to report at all. No. 68, 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 No. 70 did report, No. 68 did not.”n