The name Taylor Decker may forever be synonymous with NFL officiating, as the Detroit Lions offensive tackle was at the center of a mess this past week.
After the Lions scored a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of their Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys, they chose to attempt what would’ve been a go-ahead, two-point conversion. At first, they appeared to succeed, with quarterback Jared Goff hitting Decker in the back of the end zone. But then the Lions were flagged for illegal touching. The officiating crew deemed that Decker didn’t report he was an eligible receiver for the play, though replays show the tackle approaching umpire Brad Allen.
FOX Sports Rules Analyst Dean Blandino explained how he thinks the Lions created an “illusion,” having multiple players go near Allen to presumably confuse the Cowboys as to who was eligible on the play, causing the mess that ensued. Detroit ultimately failed a two-point attempt and lost 20-19.
Dean Blandino and ‘FOX NFL Kickoff’ crew break down the controversial call in Lions vs. Cowboys
Nonetheless, Lions fans were enraged by the ruling and have put up digital billboards in Detroit that read “DECKER REPORTED.”
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While the loss torched the Lions’ chances of being the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they’ve already clinched the franchise’s first NFC North division title and are 11-5. It’s their highest win total since 2014. Another victory would make it the Lions’ best regular season since 1991 and tie the franchise record — albeit it would be done with an extra game compared to when the Lions went 12-4 in 1991.
Decker, the No. 16 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, has spent his entire career with Detroit.
He and the Lions close out the regular season at home against the Minnesota Vikings (7-9) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
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