The aftermath of the officiating debacle in the Dallas Cowboys win over the Detroit Lions still lingers, with plenty of reaction coming from around the NFL. Brad Allen gave his explanation on the call he made with Taylor Decker being an ineligible receiver, but there's more room for interpretation.
CBS Sports NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore explained on "The NFL Today" the miscommunication between Allen and Decker.
"The assumption there at that point is Brad Allen makes eye contact at 70. Brad Allen says I announced that 70 was eligible. You see him quickly go over to the defensive line to let the defense know 70 is eligible on the play -- and then you have the beginning of the miscommunication."
CBS Sports' NFL Rules Analyst @GeneSteratore sheds light on the controversial call in the Lions Cowboys game pic.twitter.com/rcOVL65GnU
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 31, 2023
Steratore explains that Allen hears the reporting from Decker, but sees 70 -- therefore ruling him as eligible.
Decker said after the loss he did report as eligible.
"All I really wanna say on it ... I did exactly what coach told me to do," Decker said afterwards, via the Detroit News. "I went to the ref, said report. ... I did what I was told to do, did how we did it in practice all week."
Decker said that it was his understanding that Lions coach Dan Campbell had informed the official of the two-point play prior to kickoff. Campbell, who didn't hide his frustration during his postgame press conference, explained the reasoning the officials gave him regarding the penalty.
"The explanation was seventy reported," Campbell said. "Two people can't report. I don't want to talk about it, alright. I explained everything, pregame, to a T. Seventy reported, sixty-eight didn't, we threw it to sixty-eight, that was the explanation."
A miscommunication between Decker and Allen appears to be what transpired. What's next is how the NFL reacts to the situation.
