Lions quarterback Jared Goff talks to a referee regarding offensive tackle Taylor Decker's 2-point conversion catch against the Cowboys being called illegal touching during the second half of the Lions' 20-19 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lions fans pay for billboards to protest ineligible receiver controversy

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 1/3/24

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell insists his team has moved on from Saturday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but the same clearly cannot be said of Lions fans.

Billboards have been popping up along major highways in the Detroit area this week that express displeasure over the penalty that was called against the Lions on their crucial two-point conversion attempt. One of the rotating digital billboards simply reads “DECKER REPORTED.” The same billboard then changes to an image of the Lions’ 11-5 record crossed out and rewritten as 12-4.

Detroit, never change.

There are several of these billboards around metro Detroit along I-75 and 696. pic.twitter.com/Bx7VZbFtWg

— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) January 3, 2024

By now, you have probably heard about what happened late in Detroit’s 20-19 loss to the Cowboys. The Lions scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left to cut the Cowboys’ lead to 20-19. Lions head coach Dan Campbell decided to go for two and the win, and it initially looked like the call paid off. Offensive lineman Taylor Decker caught a pass in the back of the end zone off of a play-action fake from Jared Goff.

However, the two-point conversion was negated after the officiating crew ruled that Decker did not report as eligible. The Lions tried the two-point attempt again and failed to convert, which eventually led to them losing 20-19. You can see the sequence here.

The Lions tried to intentionally deceive the Cowboys, and they confused the official in the process. The NFL has essentially blamed Campbell and company for an attempt to engage in gamesmanship that backfired. You can probably guess how Campbell feels about the league’s stance.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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