The referee crew who worked the game in between Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys could be demoted before the postseason because of a controversial call at the end of the game, according to an NFL insider.
Brad Allen and his crew drew the ire of the NFL world when a The Lions favor the 2-point conversion it was canceled out by a penalty late in the game. There was a discrepancy as to which offensive lineman reported eligibility. Taylor Decker said he was the player who declared himself eligible, but Dan Skipper is believed to be that person.
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NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on ESPN's “Sunday NFL Countdown” and explained the consequences of the penalty.
Referee Brad Allen gestures as he talks to his crew during the New York Jets vs. Houston Texans game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Vincent Carchietta-USA Today Sports)
“This caused a terrible reaction across the league as you might expect. And I think the teams found fault on both sides here,” Schefter said in the program. “They think the Lions tried to trick the Cowboys and instead tricked the officials by sending three offensive linemen to the officials when they say only one lineman should have checked in.”
“And then the officials missed the call. Brad Allen flagged the wrong player. And it continues a string of high-profile misses this year from Brad Allen's team.”
Schefter pointed to a number of other controversial calls around the NFL involving Allen's crew.
“You remember earlier in the year, there was pass interference from (Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver) Marquez Valdes-Scantling it wasn't called — the same Brad Allen team in this game where the defensive back (Green Bay Packers) goes over his shoulder. There was a pass interference call in Atlanta with the Saints that wasn't called when it was obvious the pass interference affected that game. This was a roughing the passer when (Cleveland Browns linebacker) Za'Darius Smith was penalized but not called. And there's one thread that connects all those calls — it's the same Brad Allen team over and over again.”
Schefter said it would be a “surprise” if anyone from Allen's squad makes the postseason.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell reacts to a call during the Dallas Cowboys game on December 30, 2023 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“Now you're going to see mixed crews in the postseason and clearly this crew is going to be down and it's going to be a surprise to see some of them make it to the postseason,” Schefter said. “But that's a decision the league will have to make.”
“There will still be a lot of ramifications for the decision that will now very likely affect how the NFC will seed in the second round as well, as Detroit appears locked into the third seed right now. Last night's call could mean the Lions will go into the divisional playoff playing the winner of the NFC East instead of hosting that divisional playoff game.”
Cornerback Carrington Valentine of the Packers tries to deflect a pass intended for receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling of the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field on December 3, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Coach Dan Campbell was upset after the game and suggested he discuss this scenario with the officials before the game.
“I don't want to talk about it,” he said. “I explain everything before the game, okay? I did.”
Allen explained the penalty in the pool report.
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“That conversation is where (Skipper) reports to me and then I go to the defensive team and tell them '(Skipper) has reported as an eligible receiver,' so they're aware of who reported and then I go back to my position Allen said. “That was a conversation with the defensive line.”