Controversial Two-Point Call Not Only Officiating Miscue In Cowboys-Lions

Egregious officiating errors caused a dark cloud to linger over AT&T Stadium on Saturday night after the Dallas Cowboys pulled out a 20-19 Week 17 victory over the Detroit Lions.

It's fair to believe Dan Campbell's Lions should not have been called for the questionable illegal touching penalty on Detroit's initial two-point conversion attempt with 23 seconds remaining.

However, that call on Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker wasn't the only result-altering officiating miscue in crunch time. The Lions also benefited from an incorrect call on Cowboys tight end Peyton Hendershot during Dallas' previous possession.

Immediately following Jared Goff's second interception of the game, the Cowboys offense took over with first-and-10 at the Detroit 29-yard line with two minutes remaining. A seven-yard run by Tony Pollard was called back due to a 15-yard tripping penalty on Hendershot.

Upon closer review, though, it was Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson who tried to trip Pollard on the play, not Hendershot. If it was called correctly, the Cowboys would have benefited from a first down by penalty rather than set behind the chains with first-and-25 from the Detroit 44-yard line. If nothing was called, Dallas would have faced a second-and-3 coming out of the two-minute warning. Either way, the Cowboys would have had an easier time putting the game away.

The video of the officiating error gained traction Sunday morning with media members and fans believing the game should have been over before the controversial call on Decker.

And the wild thing about this call - If it is a no-call or properly called on Hutchinson....The game is essentially over. Instead, the 1st and 25 put a few more moments in the game. https://t.co/2btAVtOUHh

— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) December 31, 2023

This was called tripping in Cowboys tight end Peyton Hendershot. Lions DE Aiden Hutchinson has his leg out pic.twitter.com/CW5zAX7XVR

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 31, 2023

The loss had significant playoff implications for both teams, which was a major reason behind the frustration for Campbell and others. Detroit would have remained in the mix for the NFC's No. 1 seed if it defeated Dallas. Instead, the Cowboys remain alive to win the NFC East, and potentially earn the conference's top seed with some help.