Dan Campbell

Perhaps nobody in NFL history knows what it takes to reach the Super Bowl better than Tom Brady, so the legendary quarterback's words carry weight when evaluating some of the decisions by Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.

"They've been aggressive all year," Brady said when discussing Detroit's 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship Game during an appearance on his Let's Go! podcast. "You know obviously, when you're aggressive and it doesn't work, it comes back to bite you. It came back to bite them yesterday. Again, I would've taken the points.

"I've been in those situations. I look at them and say, okay, this is the opportunity to continue to keep the pressure on the 49ers to make great plays and you're in a great position."

Detroit went for 4th-and-2 from San Francisco's 28-yard line while holding a 14-point lead in the third quarter and went for 4th-and-3 from San Francisco's 30-yard line in the fourth quarter while trailing by three.

Both attempts were unsuccessful, and the 49ers scored touchdowns on the ensuing possessions.

Considering the final deficit was three points, the Lions surely would love the six points that would have come with two made field goals in those situations. While San Francisco would have changed its strategy if that is how things played out, it isn't a stretch to say the visitors would be preparing for the Super Bowl with those extra points.

There was also a situation that stood out in the final two minutes.

The Lions were down 10 but at the 49ers' 1-yard line with all three of their timeouts remaining. They decided to run the ball and then proceeded to call a timeout when David Montgomery didn't score.

While Detroit eventually scored a touchdown, the usage of the timeout meant the game was all but over when it didn't recover the ensuing onside kick.

"The handoff there late in the game, that was the one I didn't understand," Brady said. "Unless you saw some incredible look to walk the ball in, you just can't take the chance that you're gonna be stopped short and keep the clock running. You just can't get the ball back. So that was the one I just said, 'I don't know what they're doing.' I thought it was just a flat-out error."

The Lions and their fans will be thinking about what could have been throughout the offseason, as they built a 24-7 halftime lead just to watch it disappear after intermission.

Now San Francisco will have the opportunity to win a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.

It turns out it wasn't just fans who were perplexed with Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell's fourth-down decision-making in Sunday's NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

One former head coach highlighted the decision to not allow Michael Badgley to kick a potentially game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter as particularly frustrating.

"To say the guy might miss the kick is ridiculous," the coach told Mike Sando of The Athletic. "The guy might drop the ball, and the ball might get batted, and a defensive lineman might beat a guard and hit the quarterback.

"Whatever you do, you have to execute. If you decide to kick the field goal, you have to make it. The 49ers' first field-goal miss was fourth-and-10. Guys have been making or missing field goals forever. But the percentages of kicking the field goal are good."

The Lions turned the ball over on downs twice on Sunday, both coming deep in 49ers territory. The first decision would have given Detroit a chance to go ahead 27-10 in the third quarter with a 45-yard field-goal attempt. Instead, the Lions attempted a pass that went through wideout Josh Reynolds' hands.

The second decision, which saw Campbell pass up a 47-yard attempt that would have tied the game at 27, drew significant ire across social media. That said, analytics supported Campbell's aggressiveness in both instances.

pic.twitter.com/M8n5RKqtuQ

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 29, 2024

A common response I get to a situation like this: the 0.3% isn’t worth passing up the chance to tie.

The response is that the model is very aware of the score and the *possibility* of tying with a field goal. That is baked in.

If the model’s outputs are the pure truth (I’m… https://t.co/XQkDmC9s4V

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 29, 2024

"It's easy hindsight. I get it. I get that, but I don't regret those decisions, and it's hard," Campbell told reporters after the game. "It's hard because we didn't come through, and it wasn't able to work out, but I don't. And I understand the scrutiny I'll get—that's part of the gig—but it just didn't work out."

The third-quarter decision was far more understandable than the one in the fourth. Had Detroit converted on fourth down in the third quarter, it could have amounted to a knockout blow against a 49ers team that was reeling at the time. The combination of potentially scoring later in the drive and running off time made all the sense in the world.

The second decision, however, feels like one where conventional wisdom should have won. Even if analytics say there was a minuscule advantage in going for it in that situation, the 49ers had flipped the game script on its head. Punching a hole into their momentum and re-tying the game could have turned the tables back in Detroit's favor.

For their part, Lions players have stood by their coach.

"I love it. Keep us out there. We should convert," quarterback Jared Goff said. "He believes in us. I don't know what the numbers are, but we had a lot of big-time conversions this year that changed games."

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows that the path to next year's NFC Championship game will be much more difficult to reach than this year's.

After the Lions loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Campbell was candid about the reality of winning once you've already done it.

"I told those guys, this may have been our only shot," Campbell said after the game. "Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I'm well aware. It's going to be twice as hard to get to this point next year as it was this year. That's the reality. And if we don't have the same hunger and the same work, this is a whole nother thing."

After not winning a playoff game for more than 30 years, the Lions now have a target on their back heading into next season after proving themselves in this year's playoff. Campbell is aware of that target, and he seems to be ready for the challenge.

The Lions took a big step forward this season. They put together a solid 9-8 season last season and then blossomed into one of the league's best teams this year to win the NFC North and put the NFL on notice.

Next year, teams will know what to expect from Detroit, which Campbell believes makes things much more difficult.

"Once we get to the offseason, we got no shot of getting back here," Campbell said. "I don't care how much better we get or what we add or what we draft. It's irrelevant. It's going to be tough. Everybody in our division's going to be loaded back up and you're not hiding from anybody anymore. Everybody's going to want a piece of you."

Regardless of how much more difficult next season will be for the Lions, they can celebrate a successful 2023 season. Things didn't end the way they would have liked, but they brought success to a franchise that has seen very little of it this century.

Now, Campbell and Detroit will begin preparation for what he deemed will be a much more strenuous season.

After going for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal twice during Sunday's NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is standing by his decisions regardless of the results.

"I don't regret those decisions," Campbell told reporters. "And it's hard, it's hard because we didn't come through and it wasn't able to work out. But I don't. I don't."

“I just felt really good about us converting.” - Dan Campbell on aggressive 4th down calls pic.twitter.com/ia3ZjA5qbB

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 29, 2024

The Lions held a 17-point lead at halftime before falling apart in the second half as the 49ers stormed back to earn a 34-31 win. Campbell had two instances where he aggressively tried to extend a possession instead of taking the points.

Detroit was leading 24-10 in the third quarter and had the opportunity to make it a three-score game with a field goal. Instead, Campbell went for it, and Josh Reynolds dropped a pass from Jared Goff that would've converted the first down.

After falling behind in the fourth quarter, a field goal would've tied the game at 27, but Campbell once again went for it on fourth down. Goff's pass sailed incomplete and allowed the 49ers to seal the game with a touchdown.

Campbell said he's not surprised by the masses who questioned his decision-making after the Lions fell short of making it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

"I understand the scrutiny I'll get, that's part of the gig, man," he said. "But, it just didn't work out."

The Lions have a bright future under Campbell, but Sunday's loss will haunt the team for quite some time. Detroit can only hope that Campbell will learn from his mistakes as the team tries to stay in title contention next season and beyond.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is known for making bold decisions, but his overconfidence backfired at the worst possible time.

The Lions blew a 17-point halftime lead on their way to a 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. It tied the 2012 Atlanta Falcons for the largest blown lead in NFC title game history, with the 49ers also making the comeback in that game.

Detroit was rolling in the first half, taking the air out of Levi's Stadium as it took a 24-7 lead into the locker room. San Francisco made the necessary adjustments and came out firing in the second half, but it was a questionable decision by Campbell that ultimately led to his team's demise.

Holding a 24-10 lead in the third quarter with the opportunity to kick a field goal and make it a three-score game, Campbell opted to go for it on fourth down. The pass from Lions quarterback Jared Goff was dropped by Josh Reynolds, and the wheels fell off for Detroit from that point on.

The 49ers scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession and then forced a fumble by Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs on the first play of Detroit's next drive. Another touchdown by San Francisco tied the game, and a field goal put the Niners ahead for good.

Campbell had another opportunity to go for a field goal that would've tied the game at 27, but he once again made the aggressive move and went for it on fourth down. Goff's pass sailed incomplete, and the 49ers reached the end zone on the ensuing possession to put the game away.

Campbell's moxie is what helped accelerate his rise to one of the best coaches in the NFL. However, his decision-making on Sunday was borderline reckless, and it was part of the reason the Lions failed to make their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Fans on social media didn't hold back as they called out Campbell for his questionable choices in the second half of Sunday's game:

Lions seeing their 17-point lead disappear pic.twitter.com/IteX3TB0zv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 29, 2024

Lions 1st half

vs

Lions 2nd half pic.twitter.com/oyQuEB9sOs

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell need his ass kicked!

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 29, 2024

Yo!!! WTF IS DAN CAMPBELL DOING???? 🤣🤣🤣

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell lost his mind

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 29, 2024

This momentum shift is on Dan Campbell. Kick the damn field goal.

— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell realizing he should have kicked the field goal: pic.twitter.com/5uo20GRebJ

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell right now pic.twitter.com/eeQd8DDFwO

— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) January 29, 2024

If the 49ers hold onto this game, they might need to give Lions coach Dan Campbell a game ball.

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell staying true to himself. This is nuts.

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell drawing an 18 in blackjack: “hit me.”

— Sam Morril (@sammorril) January 29, 2024

Lions fans can blame Dan Campbell for this.

Coaching with too much ego/emotion cost you vs the Cowboys and it's costing you a trip to the Super Bowl tonight.

Just kick the FG and it's a 3 score game and the 49ers have to play near perfect to beat you.

— Madril (@MadrilSmith13) January 29, 2024

https://twitter.com/ClintFiore/status/1751783056275382618

The Lions win probability reached as a high as 90.4% with 8:29 left in the third quarter (leading 24-10 with possession).

Just over 5 minutes of game clock later, the 49ers now have a 59% chance to win the game (with the game tied 24-24).#DETvsSF | #AllGrit | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Nm8OMsac7y

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 29, 2024

Dan Campbell is the degenerate gambler everyone loves to cheer for going all-in but when he ends up dead broke everyone condemns his recklessness.

— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) January 29, 2024

https://twitter.com/FitzyMoPena/status/1751786040082432020

The Lions captured the love of the football world for finally rising from the depths of being a struggling franchise to being a title contender. Things looked great for Detroit early on, but things fell apart both for the players and the coaches.

It should be noted that in addition to Campbell's mistakes, there were multiple miscues by the Lions players like a dropped interception and a Reynolds drop on third down that also factored into the blown lead.

It's a heartbreaking end to a fun season for the Lions, and Campbell will now have to reevaluate his approach as he prepares to lead the team on another title chase next season.

Jared Goff led the Detroit Lions to a 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and a berth in the NFC Championship Game, throwing for 287 yards and two touchdowns, but he was quick to credit general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell for putting the current team together.

Jared Goff said in this moment, it’d be hard to reflect on three years — but he said Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell built a roster to handle these moments.

“We’re not here by accident,” he said. pic.twitter.com/7rdTdpnhfZ

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 22, 2024

"The greatest leader I've ever been around," he said of Campbell in particular.

Under Goff, Campbell and Holmes, the Lions qualified for their first postseason berth since 2016. Last week's win was their first playoff victory since the 1991-92 season and their upcoming trip to the NFC Championship Game will be the furthest they've reached in the postseason since that same year.

The Lions have never reached the Super Bowl and before Sunday had only reached the NFC Championship Game once.

So yes, it's heady times in Detroit.

As for Dan Campbell, listening to these players and coaches talk about him seems more than the usual coach cliches.
Seems like some some genuine caring and respect.
Campbell seems to embody the saying that it's not what you say to people, but how you make people feel.

— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) January 22, 2024

Every coach in every sport talks about creating a culture.

Dan Campbell has actually done it, in a place it often felt it would never happen.

No matter how much credit you give him, it’s not enough. #Lions

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) January 21, 2024

"They're the best. Look around right now. They're not going to leave here for quite some time," Goff told reporters after the game regarding the team's fans. "And this is our last one in front of them and they were special tonight as they were last week. But they deserve it. They deserve this. They deserve to enjoy this and hope to give them a lot more moving forward."

The Lions aren't satisfied with how far they've gotten to this point, however.

"I envisioned that we would have a chance to compete with the big boys, and that's where we're at," Campbell told reporters.

Up next will be the NFC's top seed, the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions will be on the road and are a younger and less proven team at this point, and by any measure have already exceeded expectations this season.

But they are a dangerous bunch, loaded with playmakers on both sides of the ball and led by a quarterback in Goff who has played in a Super Bowl before. The Lions are not to be taken lightly, a statement that wouldn't have been made often about this franchise in past years.

After a controversial penalty caused the Detroit Lions' game-winning two-point conversion against the Dallas Cowboys to be nullified, head coach Dan Campbell is still not happy with how the officials handled the situation, especially considering he made a preemptive move that should've helped.

Campbell told reporters on Monday that he physically drew the two-point play on a sheet of paper and shared it with officials before the game.

Lions starting left tackle Taylor Decker appeared to catch the game-winner with 23 seconds remaining in Saturday's game, but he was called for an illegal touching penalty for not reporting as an eligible receiver. Detroit ended up settling for a 20-19 loss.

"Would you be frustrated right now?" Campbell said after the game. "I don't like losing, and that's what happened. We lost, and that bothers me. I don't like having an L, so that's the frustration."

To make matters worse, there were conflicting accounts of how everything went down late in the game. Lions quarterback Jared Goff adamantly said Decker declared himself to be an eligible receiver, but referee Brad Allen said in a pool report that backup tackle Dan Skipper was the one who declared himself as eligible.

However, video showed Decker having a conversation with Allen prior to the play. After Decker's catch was called back, the Lions had two more attempts at the two-point conversion and came up short both times.

"Yeah, that sucks. It's unfortunate, man," Goff said. "I don't know if I've had this feeling before where you feel like you've won and you didn't. With that being said, though, the next two plays we had shots at it."

Detroit will look to close out the regular season on a better note when it hosts the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was aggressive once again during Saturday's 20-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a fake punt from his team's own territory and an attempted two-point conversion in the final 30 seconds, which earned the respect of opposing quarterback Dak Prescott.

"This guy is crazy and respectfully crazy, talking about coach Campbell," Prescott said, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. "I love it. I really do. You're playing to win a game not lose a game and that's what he did tonight credit that mindset that's a helluva team."

The fake punt was successful in the second quarter, but the two-point conversion failed controversially.

Dan Campbell loves a good gamble 😏

📺: #DETvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/urKeZaIvCL pic.twitter.com/SPKrSGULIx

— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2023

Detroit appeared to convert it with a trick-play pass to offensive tackle Taylor Decker, but the officials said he didn't report as eligible and penalized the visitors. The Lions still went for two from the Cowboys' 7-yard line and then had another chance from the 2-yard line when Micah Parsons went offside.

Yet they failed on that attempt as well and lost by one point.

The Decker play was the main storyline in the aftermath with Detroit saying he reported as eligible and the officials saying it was actually offensive lineman Dan Skipper who reported as eligible.

However, the Lions also couldn't stop Prescott (26-of-38 passing for 345 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) and CeeDee Lamb (13 catches for 227 yards and one touchdown) throughout the game.

Perhaps they will meet again in the playoffs. If they do, Campbell will surely be aggressive again even though it led to mixed results Saturday.

One of the more chaotic finishes this NFL season took place on Saturday to help cap the Dallas Cowboys' 20-19 win over the Detroit Lions.

Down 20-13 with no timeouts and 1:41 remaining in regulation, the Lions took advantage of a soft Cowboys coverage by trotting 75 yards down the field and scoring after Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

With 23 seconds remaining, the Lions decided to go for the jugular and set up for a two-point conversion. Goff found offensive tackle Taylor Decker for the two-point conversion, and the Lions went up 21-20, for mere moments.

After an officials' discussion, referee Brad Allen called Decker for an illegal touch, leading to a five-yard Lions penalty. On the Lions' second attempt, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was called for offsides, leading to a third opportunity. That last one fell short, the Cowboys recovered an onside kick, and that was the ballgame.

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

Afterward, confusion reigned. Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that referees claimed No. 70 (Dan Skipper) and not No. 68 (Decker) reported as eligible. Skipper told reporters postgame that he did not report as eligible.

Dan Campbell says the officials told him No. 70 (Dan Skipper) reported as eligible.

In the locker room, Skipper said he didn’t say a word to the officials. pic.twitter.com/YPbi4jvAcT

— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) December 31, 2023

Campbell also said he explained to referees pregame what the Lions would do "to a T."

Coach Campbell on the end of the game. pic.twitter.com/xo0rQQi9C4

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 31, 2023

Meanwhile, Decker said he reported as was told (overhead video showed Decker heading over to the official before the play, with Skipper later briefly joining alongside him).

#Lions Taylor Decker: “I did what I was told to do.” pic.twitter.com/nAniCMAZIh

— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) December 31, 2023

Quarterback Jared Goff told reporters that he asked Decker to report as an eligible receiver to officials before the play.

#Lions QB Jared Goff: I do know that Decker reported and that Skipper did not. pic.twitter.com/X3KwD0zsdB

— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) December 31, 2023

In the pool report obtained by the Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins, Allen said Skipper (No. 70) reported and that Decker (No. 68) did not.

Cowboys-Lions pool report: pic.twitter.com/RTBq4iZgmt

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 31, 2023

There are a few theories and conclusions on the matter:

Based on what the Lions’ offensive linemen said, the referee called the wrong number as eligible….and then called a penalty on Detroit. https://t.co/8fW4CItDNc

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2023

Agreed, Mike. Lions tried to do a head fake against Cowboys & it faked out the officials.
(And on top of that, I’d bet Decker’s right hand makes the “chest swipe / I’m reporting” motion if we could see the reverse angle of him in front of Allen. Look closely) @NFLFilms -… https://t.co/MpIoY50bNG

— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) December 31, 2023

Campbell says he gave refs a pregame heads-up on the play.

Based on replays/player accounts, Lions did exactly what they were supposed to do.

Refs screwed up. Didn’t fix it. And mistake has playoff implications.

There’s no “refs are only human” argument here. That’s egregious.

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) December 31, 2023

Ultimately, NFL fans were rather displeased with how things went down.

Referee Brad Allen somehow didn't see/hear Taylor Decker report as eligible. Supposedly, it's on the player to make it clear he's reporting. But Decker's face was 12 inches from Allen's, and nothing was said/heard??? Looks like an officiating gaffe to me.

— Bob Wojnowski (@bobwojnowski) December 31, 2023

Taylor Decker reported!!! We got robbed!!! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) December 31, 2023

Taylor Decker not reporting, but asking the referee how their Christmas was, right?

The Detroit Lions got royally screwed on this. Period#OnePride pic.twitter.com/Ve0Zb1pcKC

— Danny Bennett (@RealDannyB) December 31, 2023

3 weeks ago, Patrick Mahomes lamented that refs took “away greatness.” But Kardarius Toney was offside.

Unless Taylor Decker was asking the ref what he’s doing later, it appears greatness was taken away from the Lions - who went to Dallas and went for 2 to an offensive lineman.

— Bill Voth (@billvoth) December 31, 2023

Going to be a tough week for Brad Allen.. unless Taylor Decker just wanted to wish him a Happy New Year before that 2 point play, which makes total sense. Detroit will get their letter from the league mid week, but no consequences for bad officials.

— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph) December 31, 2023

Am I incredibly biased against the Cowboys? Absolutely.

But are you completely nuts if you think Taylor Decker walked up to the ref and got said ref's attention just to NOT report as eligible here? Also yes. https://t.co/tAY9vmKegj

— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) December 31, 2023

Video evidence of Taylor decker reporting. Refs are making a mockery of professional football.

— gw (@grantwingersoll) December 31, 2023

https://twitter.com/HockeyVoxDB/status/1741312731527909871

Man! Looks like the whole world saw Taylor Decker report. Lions got screwed

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) December 31, 2023

Taylor Decker clearly reported to the officials.

The officiating just cost the Lions. What a fucking joke.

— Gare Bear (@GVLaker68) December 31, 2023

https://twitter.com/portislives/status/1741316480589816103

So the ref thought Skipper reported as eligible, saw them throw to Decker, and then doubled down on their mistake thinking the LIONS were the ones who mixed it up

Tremendous stuff

— Championship Connoisseur (@UMvsEveryone) December 31, 2023

The NFL screwing over the Detroit Lions in Dallas on a questionable decision by the referees in the final minute.

Tell me if you’ve heard this before.

— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) December 31, 2023

Lions literally got the win taken away on a fluke. Don’t blame that loss on Campbell going for it

— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) December 31, 2023

Refs beat the Lions once again this shit sickening bro

— GibbsMuse (@gibbsmuse) December 31, 2023

Lions fans watching that last sequence pic.twitter.com/kF9YFZt3gV

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) December 31, 2023

I’m being an absolute crybaby but the Lions should protest that game. There is no franchise that gets directly screwed over by officiating more than the Lions and I’m sick of it

— Championship Connoisseur (@UMvsEveryone) December 31, 2023

Ain’t a Lions season til we get hardcore jobbed in front of the nation

— Honolulu Blues (@HonoluluBlues_) December 31, 2023

Lions did everything right with the game on the line. They succeed, and the refs botch the SINGLE job they have.

This is the grossest Lions loss in my life. https://t.co/C8sWhqi1az

— 🍑 is trying his best (@msupeach) December 31, 2023

So despite John Parry saying it’s Decker’s fault…. It was actually a massive mistake by Referee Brad Allen https://t.co/6cgRORNaQk

— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) December 31, 2023

Brad Allen has been the NFL’s Joe West for like seven years and the league does not care. https://t.co/MKBAqXl3P8

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) December 31, 2023

And unless we are about to get the most extraordinarily honest pool report in NFL history coming with transparent postgame quotes from referee Brad Allen, the league’s game officials once again don’t have any in-the-moment accountability here.

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 31, 2023

Both teams have one game remaining before playoffs. Detroit will host the Minnesota Vikings to close the regular season, while the Dallas Cowboys will visit the Washington Commanders.