Jared Goff rips NFL referees as controversy brews over illegal touching penalty - "I do know that Decker reported"
With less than half a minute remaining against the Dallas Cowboys, Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown to put the Detroit Lions within one. But for coach Dan Campbell, overtime was too risky to force. One of his key players could have got seriously injured, immediately jeopardizing their title hopes.
So the two-point play was decided, and it seemed perfectly planned: the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback finding Taylor Decker of all people. But one problem: the offensive tackle was not reported as eligible, so he had illegally touched the ball. The initial play was annulled.
The next attempt was intercepted, but Micah Parsons was flagged for going offside, but on the next retry, James Mitchell fumbled the pass. The Lions attempted to salvage the game with an onside kick, but CeeDee Lamb caught it.
After the game, Goff was admant that the situation played exactly as they had planned it to:
"Pretty confused. What I do know, and I don't know if I'll get fined for this. But I do know that Decker reported. I do know that Dan Skipper did not. And I do know that they said that Dan Skipper did."
Decker would later share the same sentiment when briefed in the locker room:
"I did exactly what coach told me to do. Went to the ref, said, 'Report.'"
Referee explains call that nullified Jared Allen, Lions' initial two-point conversion
Itt was not just Jared Goff, Taylor Decker and Dan Campbell speaking about the controversy. Brad Allen, the referee in the game, was also asked to explain his call. He said:
"Number 70 (Dan Skipper), who had reported during the game a couple of times, reported to me as eligible. Then he lined up at tackle. So actually, he didn't have to report at all.
"Number 68 (Taylor Decker) did not. Therefore, he is an ineligible touching a pass that goes beyond the line, which makes it a foul."
He also expounded on his conversation with the Lions players before the play:
"I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them, 'Number 70 has reported as an eligible receiver,' so they will be aware of who has reported, and, then, I return to my position."
The full report can be seen below: