Refs Appear To Steal Win From Detroit On Atrocious Call

The refs appeared to absolutely hose the Detroit Lions Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

Detroit scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left to bring the score to 19-20, and then completed a wild two-point conversion pass to lineman Taylor Decker to go up 21-20. It looked like Dan Campbell had pulled off another incredible win.

There was just one major problem. The refs threw a flag and claimed Decker never reported.

While the refs claimed Decker never reported, he was on video appearing to report the refs, he claimed he did after the game, Campbell was on video screaming at a ref he'd reported and then doubled down on the claim after the game.

Lions coach Dan Campbell livid after refs appear to hose Detroit.

It's not exactly clear what the ref was doing, but Campbell was allegedly told a different player reported as eligible. The Lions coach claimed there's just no way that occurred.

He was beyond angry in the postgame press conference.

It's hard to not understand Campbell being so unbelievably upset and frustrated. Instead of leaving Dallas with a 21-20 win and a 12-4 record, the Lions went home with a loss after a truly mind-boggling call.

Everyone on Detroit's sideline seems to believe Decker reported, and the film appears to confirm that. Instead, the refs claim a different player reported as eligible and flagged the successful conversion.

Either every single person on the Lions is wrong and the tape is wrong or the refs made a massive mistake.

If we're to believe Decker didn't report as the officials claim, then what the hell was he talking to the refs about prior to the play? Were they just catching up on old times? Lions fans should be livid, and a quick search of social media tells me the outrage is real and justified.

We'll see how the NFL handles this debacle, but it's beyond embarrassing. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.