'It's a gut punch': Lions fall to Cowboys in controversial finish

Arlington, Texas — Stop us if you've heard this before: The Detroit Lions feel slighted by the officiating in Dallas.

Those tuning into Saturday night's showdown at AT&T Stadium between the Lions and Cowboys were expecting a shootout. Instead, they got a rock fight and likely walked away feeling unsatisfied, as the NFC showdown was ultimately overshadowed by an officiating decision with 23 seconds remaining.

And in the end, it was the Cowboys who pushed their home winning streak to 16 with a 20-19 win over Detroit that went to the wire in every sense, with the Lions having a winning two-point conversion to Taylor Decker taken off the board because of illegal touching.

BOX SCORE: Cowboys 20, Lions 19

Trailing 20-13, the Lions went 75 yards in one minute, 18 seconds to pull within 20-19 and set up the two-point attempt that was waved off because Decker was not declared as eligible before the play. The Lions caught a break on the following play, when Dallas was called for offsides, but the final attempt to tight end James Mitchell fell incomplete.

"It's kind of a gut punch, but you gotta turn the page real quick," Decker said.

The controversy has since taken on a life of its own, as the Lions denied any wrongdoing — claiming Decker clearly reported — while referee Brad Allen doubled down on his own story, claiming offensive lineman Dan Skipper reported and Decker did not.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell was clearly frustrated after the game.

"I don't like losing...and that's what happened," Campbell said. "We lost. That bothers me. I don't like having an 'L.' That's the frustration."

Though Detroit nearly stole a win at the end, it had ample opportunity to further its hopes earlier in the game and was largely unable to convert in high-leverage moments against the Cowboys defense.

Jared Goff finished 19-for-34 passing for 271 yards (75 of them came on the final drive), a touchdown and two interceptions for a passer rating of 67.2. The Lions finished 4-for-13 on third down after going 2-for-2 on the opening drive, with one of the conversions coming on the third-to-last offensive play.

With the loss, Detroit (11-5) maintains its position as the NFC's No. 3 seed. The Lions have lost six straight to the Cowboys (11-5) and haven't won in Dallas since 2011.

"We had plenty of opportunities and it never comes down to one play, of course," Goff said. "We didn't play our best on offense throughout most of the game and did there toward the end…but we had plenty of chances to score."

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb caught 13 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, passing Hall of Famer Michael Irvin to set a new Cowboys single-season receiving record (1,651 yards). Quarterback Dak Prescott was 26-for-38 passing for 345 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

"We tried to double (Lamb), but we also wanted to get pressure," Campbell said. "When you pressure, we've gotta be able to hold up. You get isolated, you get some one-on-ones, he's a good player, we know that. But I thought we had the right balance. He's tough to contain."

The Cowboys won the toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Lions first possession for the third consecutive game. Unlike the last two tries, the Lions couldn't turn the opening drive into six points.

Goff completed a third-down throw to Kalif Raymond for 11 yards, then found Amon-Ra St. Brown for 23 yards to move into Cowboys territory. But after David Montgomery rushed for 11 yards to keep the drive moving, the Dallas defense forced two straight incompletions and a third-down completion for no gain to cut the drive short. Michael Badgley's 41-yard field goal gave the Lions a 3-0 lead with 10:50 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Cowboys were on pace to answer quickly after a 31-yard catch and run by Lamb to move Dallas inside the Lions' 40-yard line. But as Prescott tried Lamb on third-and-4, Ifeatu Melifonwu — who sealed the NFC North with his first career interception last week — picked off the pass and returned it 24 yards to the Detroit 43.

Melifonwu has now forced turnovers in three straight games, including a strip-sack on quarterback Russell Wilson in the Lions' 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos.

The Lions got off to a great start on their second possession, as St. Brown's 13-yard reception moved them into Dallas territory. But the drive stalled as Jahmyr Gibbs was wrapped up for a loss and Goff was sacked by Dorance Armstrong on third down to force a punt.

Detroit pinned Dallas deep, which appeared like it would lead to some points for the Lions. Derrick Barnes whiffed on what looked like a sure-fire sack for a safety and Prescott escaped to loft up a prayer to Lamb. Kindle Vildor fell down in coverage and Lamb ran the ball in for a 92-yard passing touchdown — the longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season and the second-longest passing touchdown in Cowboys history — to make it 7-3 Cowboys with 3:26 to go in the first quarter.

"I tried to lower my shoulder and I thought I could get a big boom on him," Barnes said. "Dak's a big quarterback, also athletic. He just kind of ducked his shoulder when he came back to the sideline…should have just not let that one go. Looking back at it, that could have been (the difference) in the game, but you never know.

"I'm for sure kicking myself over it, but I got guys around me that's picking me up about it."

After the two teams traded three-and-outs, Goff made his first big mistake of the game. Right after the Lions got to first-and-10 at the Dallas 38, a long-developing screen pass to Montgomery was read perfectly by the Cowboys and ex-Wolverine Jourdan Lewis picked it to give Dallas the ball near midfield. It was Goff's 11th interception on the year.

Dallas rolled down the field into the red zone and handed off to Tony Pollard on first-and-10 as Tyson Alualu saved a touchdown in his Lions debut by making a shoestring tackle. On the very next play, Vildor knocked the ball out of Lamb's hand as the Cowboys receiver reached for the end zone, leading to a touchback and Lions possession.

The ensuing Lions drive stalled immediately but was saved by a fake punt. On fourth-and-2, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin took a direct snap on the punt and completed a 31-yard pass to cornerback Khalil Dorsey, which ultimately led to first-and-goal at the Dallas 2-yard line. Gibbs lost yardage on first down and the Lions couldn't recover as Goff's fourth-down pass to Sam LaPorta fell incomplete, wasting another turnover.

The two teams sputtered into halftime with Dallas leading, 7-3. Aidan Hutchinson had two sacks to close the half and three in the game. The Cowboys entered Saturday averaging 39.9 points at home, the third-most of any team in the Super Bowl era.

Detroit's defense got off the field quickly to start the second half with a third-down pressure by Bruce Irvin and pass defense by Brian Branch.

After moving into Dallas territory, the Lions failed to convert on third down for a seventh straight time, as Gibbs was wrapped up for no gain. LaPorta's 4-yard reception on fourth down kept the drive alive, and the Lions broke their third-down drought on a 3-yard touchdown run by Montgomery, who had 44 rushing yards on seven carries during the drive, to go up 10-7 with 4:34 left in the third quarter.

The lead didn't hold long, though, as the Cowboys tied it up on the next possession. After the Cowboys crossed into Lions territory, Detroit's defense forced incompletions on second and third down. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey nailed a 51-yard field goal to make it 10-all entering the fourth quarter.

Goff and Jameson Williams finally connected for a catch-and-run deep shot early in the fourth. The 63-yard gain set the Lions up at the Dallas 14. But once again, Dallas' red-zone defense stood tall, forcing the Lions to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Badgley and 13-10 lead with 12:18 left in the game.

Detroit's inability to find the end zone would prove costly, as Dallas took a 17-13 lead on the next possession. The Cowboys marched down the field, 75 yards in nine plays, to regain a lead with 7:20 to go on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks.

It wasn't long before Dallas once again had the ball in its possession, this time with the chance to put the game away. The Lions went three-and-out after Dallas took the lead. Dallas got an illegal holding call on Vildor to convert one third down, then completed a 22-yard pass to Lamb to move the chains on another. Hutchinson beat his man to bring down Prescott for the next, though, and allowed Detroit to get the ball back at their own 11-yard line with 2:33 left.

If you've watched a Cowboys game before, you won't be surprised to learn they all but slammed the door with a diving interception. Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson jumped a throw to LaPorta, as the Cowboys took over at Detroit's 29-yard line with 2:05 remaining.

But the Lions held on to limit Dallas to a field goal, giving them a chance to tie or win the game after getting the ball back in a 20-13 game with 1:41 remaining on the clock. LaPorta caught passes of 10 and 25 yards to open the drive and reach Dallas' 40-yard line.

St. Brown and LaPorta kept the Lions offense moving, getting a fresh set of downs at the Dallas 11 with 27 seconds left. The Lions punched it in on an 11-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown, then trotted the offense out to go for the win.

On the two-point conversion play, the Lions threw the ball to Decker for the winning score, making it 21-20 with 23 seconds remaining — or so it appeared. Decker was called for illegal touching, and the Lions ran it back from the 7-yard line, which was also called back for defensive offsides. Third time was not the charm, as Mitchell and Goff couldn't connect for the winning score.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi