The Detroit Lions looked like they had been gifted a late Christmas present by Mike McCarthy.
However, Taylor Decker didn’t report as an eligible receiver on a successful two-point conversion that would have given Detroit a one-point lead over Dallas with seconds left Saturday.
TAYLOR DECKER WITH THE BIG MAN TWO POINT CONVERSION!!!!!!!! BUT IT DOESN’T COUNT NOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/bSa4Fh1XB0
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 31, 2023
Failing to report was ruled a penalty for what was announced as illegal touching.
The Lions got another try and Dan Campbell stuck to going for two. That play failed but Michah Parsons was offside.
The third time was not the charm for the Lions as a Jared Goff pass fell incomplete and the Cowboys had a 20-19 victory.
After an insane sequence of events, the @dallascowboys D makes a huge stop on the 2-pt attempt.
📺: #DETvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/urKeZaIvCL pic.twitter.com/iAHpmM8xkz— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2023
It was their 16th straight home win.
The Lions had driven 75 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown. They had that much time because instead of running the ball and devouring most of the clock, McCarthy opted to throw three times, two incompletions that stopped the clock.