Detroit Lions fans are still bitter the team’s controversial loss to the Dallas Cowboys Saturday evening. Over the past week, billboards correcting the Lions’ record have appeared across the city.
After scoring a late touchdown to get back within one, Detroit quarterback Jared Goff completed a pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker for the two-point conversion. However, Decker was called for illegal touching after officials ruled he did not present himself as eligible before the game.
The replay showed Decker approached the official as soon as he entered the game, but it didn’t matter. The two-point conversion was disallowed and the Lions’ second attempt failed, resulting in a 20-19 loss.
In the days following the loss, an anonymous fan purchased billboards around Detroit to remind people that the Lions had been robbed of a victory.
The loss dropped the team to 11-5, and it cost them ground in the battle for playoff positioning in the NFC. Lions head coach Dan Campbell was visibly upset during his postgame press conference, and Decker insisted he showed up before the game.
“All I really want to say about it…I did exactly what coach told me to do,” Decker said, via The Detroit News. “I went to the referee, the report said. … I did what I was told to do, I did like we’ve been doing in practice all week.”
Now, Detroit will likely be the No. 3 seed in the NFC with the Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers ahead of them heading into Week 18. The Lions will need to win their regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings and get plenty of help. if they want to improve their position before the playoffs.