Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell addressed a controversial tackle-eligible play from nine months ago, when officials penalized his team and took away a possible winning 2-point conversion.
On the Lions’ first offensive play back at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium on Sunday, Dan Skipper was reported as eligible for a simple 5-yard run by David Montgomery.
Skipper was the tackle involved in the earlier incident when Taylor Decker caught a 2-point pass from Jared Goff after the Lions had narrowed the score to 20-19 with 23 seconds left on December 30.
Because Decker caught the pass, the Lions were penalized for having an ineligible receiver.
Goff’s next throw resulted in an interception, but the Cowboys were offsides. A third attempt ended in an incomplete pass, leading to a one-point loss for Detroit.
Goff was confident that Decker, the Lions’ starting left tackle, had declared himself eligible. A frustrated Campbell mentioned that he informed officials before the game about his plans if a similar situation came up.
That earlier loss cost Detroit a chance at the top seed in the NFC, and they later lost in the conference championship game against San Francisco.
