MichiganCardinal

It’s not a challenge though, or even a review. It’s just a replay official giving him an out, asking him “are you SURE, because that’s not what it looks like on video at ALL” For all we know they did and he was too stubborn to acknowledge the possibility he ****ed it up

It's also why replay should have gotten involved to save him.

I need to focus on this game to distract me from the criminality occurring in the NFL. Go Blue.

This is so on-brand for ESPN.

I don't know about all the gambling stuff... But I think Teddy should get the start and the OL should rest if there is nothing to gain from a win. No need to put anyone in a position to get hurt. After Minnesota, the goal will be to go 4-0 across four games.

A 7-seed has not beaten a 2-seed since the NFL expanded to 7 playoff teams, but I do think the Rams have the ability to knock a team off, wherever they land... Hopefully it's not the Lions. If the Rams beat the Giants and lose to the 49ers, while the Seahawks beat the Steelers and Cardinals, we'd be looking at an Eagles-Rams, Lions-Seahawks, and Cowboys-NFC South wildcard round. In which case a Rams victory would setup a divisional round game in Detroit, against the winner of Cowboys/NFC South. The road to the 2-seed now would require both the Eagles and Cowboys losing out. Technically the 1-seed is in play too if both of them plus the 49ers lose out. If the Eagles beat the Cardinals and the 49ers beat the Commanders today (both overwhelmingly likely, but you never know), the Lions are locked into the 3-seed.

I agree. If I'm the Lions, I'm thinking there isn't a team in the NFC we can't beat in a fair fight. Raise hell over this so it hopefully doesn't happen again in the playoffs, and then go win four games in a row en route to Vegas. If I'm the Cowboys, that game doesn't inspire confidence in Mike McCarthy or their playoff prospects. I think there is a serious chance that the Cowboys lose to the Bucs, Saints, or Falcons in the opening round.

Even beyond the blatant incompetence, if I'm Sheila, I'm livid with the NFL for the lost revenue likely to be associated with this. While the NFL keeps the gate money from playoff ticket sales, I would ballpark the Lions would make over a million dollars from a divisional round home playoff game, between parking, concessions, and merchandise alone. Not to mention the added economic benefit to Detroit hotels, bars, and restaurants.

I see what you're saying now. Sorry for blowing up your notifications with quotes lol. Yeah, pretty much. The Lions options when the ref screwed up were to run the play and hope they realize their mistake and correct it after the fact, or take a delay of game penalty and draw up a totally new play from the 7.

2021: Lions-Ravens play clock expires, gives Tucker five extra yards for the NFL record. 2022: Seahawks-Rams is the worst officiated game of the season on multiple accounts. 2023: Lions-Cowboys is decided by an official's failing to do the most simple of tasks and look at the jersey of the player who is talking to him. At least they were kind enough to not **** us in the playoffs (yet) and just out of seeding.

It's the complete lack of accountability that gets to me. I wonder if Allen saw the replay before making his comments. Because there is no way someone can see that exchange after the fact and say "yeah #70 reported as eligible". Admit you ****ed it up.

That's not the answer either though. If Allen makes a mistake, it's not on the Lions to take a delay of game penalty to correct him, also in the process ruining their play by announcing to the Cowboys who the ball is going to. It's not like they would correct it if the ball wasn't going to Decker.

The NFL will hope that everyone just forgets this by Tuesday because of the full slate of games today.

There is still a play clock.

While I disagreed with going for two from the 7 and the 3 1/2, because I thought it was emotional and not logical, one take I read kind of turned me in favor of it a little more, even if it's not one Campbell would ever cite to. With the division and playoffs secured, it's possible the juice wasn't worth the squeeze from an OT period. If you enter OT, you might have a slightly better chance at winning (relative to converting a 2pt conversion from the 7 or the 3 1/2), but you also have a much higher chance of sustaining a season-killing injury. Leave it all on the line, go win it with your offense. Twice. Because the refs didn't hear you the first time.

I do think there is something to this. Campbell has always played better as the underdog, as the team that's counted out, as the.... villain? I think this will absolutely be motivation moving forward, and they will be a much harder team to oust in the playoffs.

The answer isn't the league stepping in through Rule 17. The answer was the league stepping in in the two minutes of chaos. Brad Allen has a replay official in his ear. All the time they come across and correct things, even without a full fledged video review. Every time they go "after consultation on the field", it's usually actually the replay guy coming in with an assist.... Nothing stopped the replay official from saying "hey let's slow this down and make sure we are right here. Looking at the replay, 70 doesn't approach you. 68 does. Are you sure 70 reported as eligible? Because that's not really supported by video" But that happening in JerryWorld? Fat chance.

I'm still pissed.

I don't think he was cheating, I think he was incompetent. And is now being stupidly stubborn.

It was entirely fixable too. They *could* have radioed down “hey looking at film here that makes no sense you weren’t approached by 70”. They chose not to.

Company line, through and through. Just happenstance that it always benefits Dallas.

I am. I’ll probably settle down after a sleep. But I’m as fired up as I was the last time they got ****ed against the Cowboys. It won’t matter in terms of this game. They are now 11-5. That is what it is. But I do think it matters to this team. They play well as the underdog, as the team that no one believes in. I think this is a whole tank of kerosene to that fire.

Did Decker report? Yes. Two people can’t report. I think it’s that simple.

Could the Lions have won it in other ways? Sure. But they won it this way. Until Brad Allen ****ed up.