Officiating is on the front burner during NFL Week 17 after the controversy Saturday night involving the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys.
Still in the running for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Detroit found itself down 20-19 with less than 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Dan Campbell — proving that he is among the most risk-taking in the NFL — opted to go for two and the win.
The play call was even more awesome with Jared Goff hitting offensive tackle Taylor Decker for the conversion and what seemed to be a win.
However, officials on hand in Dallas called Detroit for illegal touching by indicating that Decker did not report as eligible. It led to a major controversy after Detroit ultimately failed on its conversion attempts minutes later.
We now have more information on this, and it’s not a great look for the NFL. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Brad Allen-led officiating crew is likely to be downgraded moving forward.
“A large part of Brad Allen’s crew is not going to be officiating in the postseason,” Schefter reported. “They’re going to get downgraded, and the chances are that many of them are not going to be involved in the postseason.”
Related: Roger Goodell has authority to overturn result of Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys game
It does look like Decker did report as eligible. If the officials had not thrown a flag, Detroit would’ve taken a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining.
While NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell does have the authority to overturn the result of the game, it seems highly unlikely. Dallas still had time to drive down the field for a potential game-winning field goal. Cowboys rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey has a long of 60 yards on the season.
Despite all of this, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was not happy about how things ended after the game Saturday night.
“Two people can’t report. I don’t want to talk about it. I explained everything pregame to a T,” Campbell told reporters.
Related: Detroit Lions standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
Controversy headlines NFL Playoff race
At issue here is the fact that both Detroit and Dallas were playing for something Saturday night. The Cowboys still had hopes of capturing the NFC East title and hosting a playoff game. Meanwhile, Detroit was still in the conversation for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the NFC Playoffs.
By virtue of Dallas’ win, it can still win the division depending on what happens with the Philadelphia Eagles moving forward. The best Detroit can now hope for is the No. 3 seed in the conference. As of right now, that would include a home wild card game against the red-hot Los Angeles Rams.
No one wants to see controversy define this part of the late-season NFL schedule. Unfortunately, that is the case around the league right now.