DETROIT – The battle for the No. 2 seed in this year’s NFC playoffs came down to a two-point conversion attempt in Dallas, and the Cowboys ultimately got the call that handed them the tiebreaker over the Detroit Lions.
It was one of the most controversial moments of the NFL season. The Lions claim Taylor Decker reported as eligible before catching the game-winning pass, but league officials argued they were too deceptive during the reporting process.
Whichever side you fall on, it didn’t even matter in the end.
Because of that result, the Lions would have had to travel to Dallas for this weekend’s divisional round if both teams had won on Sunday.
But the Cowboys did not win. Not by a long shot.
The No. 7 Packers ambushed the heavily favored Cowboys, who hadn’t lost a single home game this season. Green Bay rushed out to a 27-0 lead before halftime and didn’t take its foot off the pedal until going up 48-16 early in the fourth quarter.
So once again, the Cowboys made an early postseason exit after a strong regular season.
The Lions went into their Sunday Night Football game knowing that they would get a second home game if they could beat the Rams. It wasn’t easy, but the Lions held on for a 24-23 victory to advance.
Detroit will host the winner of the Eagles-Buccaneers game, which kicks off Monday night in Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are heading back to the drawing board.
Do you believe in “football gods?” Karma? At the very least, I think most Lions fans will agree this feels like poetic justice. Even though it was the Packers who did it, watching the Cowboys get run out of their own stadium was pretty satisfying.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if Decker reports as eligible for a play next weekend.
