FRISCO, Texas – Warning: Beware the revisionist history.
Predictably, this has started up this week with the Detroit Lions return to AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, no more than 10 months since the Cowboys squeaked past the Lions, 20-19, on New Year's Eve.
You remember, right? The Lions score a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game and instead of kicking the extra point to force overtime, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell rolled the dice for the win, not once, not twice but three times unsuccessfully by attempting two-point conversions.
But what everyone seems to remember is how the Lions got jobbed on the initial two-point conversion when an illegal touching penalty was called on offensive tackle Taylor Decker after catching what appeared to be the go-ahead two-point conversion pass. But the Lions, trying to fake out the Cowboys, kind screwed up themselves.
The Lions' No. 68, tackle Decker, and No. 58, tackle Penei Sewell, stood next to head official Brad Allen, trying to confuse the Cowboys. And in comes No. 70, backup tackle Dan Skipper, appearing to report eligible by brushing his hands down the front of his jersey numbers. Allen announces loud and clear over the stadium P.A., so all 93,731 folks on hand at AT&T could hear, and so could those of us in the press box and the ones listening on radio and TV, "No. 70 is eligible."
That meant Decker, lining up at what would have been left tackle on an unbalanced line, with Sewell and Skipper to the right, was ineligible. Yet, quarterback Jared Goff throws the two-point conversion to the uncovered Decker for what appeared to be the winning two points. Of course he was uncovered. There was no need for the Cowboys to cover an ineligible receiver. So incomplete, penalty, minus-five yards.
The Lions and Campbell screamed, "Foul!" saying Allen announced the wrong guy eligible. They wanted Decker eligible. Appears their intentional deception failed. Like, they had to hear the same thing everyone else did, Allen announcing Skipper "eligible." If it was the wrong guy, why didn't they correct Allen? To me, they tried to pull a fast one.
And when the next two attempts failed – Cowboys linebacker Markquese Bell's interception wiped out by Micah Parsons being offside, and then on the third attempt Goff's pass falling incomplete – the Cowboys winning the game became a controversy, as if the official made a mistake, though if Allen did, the Lions didn't try to correct him.
Now here we go again. Saw this headline on NFL.com: "Lions dismiss motivation from controversial 2023 loss ahead of Cowboys rematch: 'We're on a mission.'"
As if they were supposed to be seeking retribution come Sunday, though it was their own mistake.
And then this in the Detroit Free Press: "Campbell's Lions have less to prove in big rematch with Cowboys," with the sub-caption reading, "10 months after their controversial loss at Dallas, the Detroit Lions don't need to rely on emotion in Sunday's big rematch with the Dallas Cowboys."
Heck, if those Lions are still mad, they ought to be mad at themselves.
- Extra Point: Don't think seen this before on an extra-point situation, when the desperate Steelers were trying to jump the snap-count on the Cowboys' final extra-point kick, hoping for a block, scoop and score for two points to tie the game at 19. Instead, they were called twice for being offsides, shutting down Brandon Aubrey's attempts. After the second infraction, referee Shawn Hochuli announces a third consecutive offside infraction would result in an "unsportsmanlike conduct penalty." And Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said, unlike the first two costing the Steelers five yards each, the third one would have resulted in automatically awarding the Cowboys the one point without requiring a kick. Learned something new.
- Punk Move: Missed what took place after the final play of the Cowboys' 20-17 victory over the Steelers in our hurry to vacate the press box, heading to the elevators to get down in time for Mike McCarthy's postgame press conference. But after Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis picked up the loose ball after the Steelers volleyed it around a time or three, Steelers wide receiver Georg Pickens intentionally yanked Lewis' facemask, probably further frustrated since he only caught three of seven targets for but 26 yards. Lewis said, "I should have expected that from him." The officials did flag Pickens for a personal foul, facemask penalty. And while no yardage could be marked off, Pickens might as well earmark around $11,000 from his game check for the personal foul. And that might double since the NFL likely is fining him for the message scribbled into his eye black, "Always (ahem) open." Not for being wrong in this case since he was rarely open, but for breaking the NFL rule not allowing any sort of messaging on a player or uniform.
- No Breaks: How about this for a pass-rushing murderer's row the Cowboys are in the midst of facing. So far it's been Myles Garrett, just last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year, then Cam Jordan, followed by Kyle Van Noy, Kayvon Thibodeaux and most recently T.J. Wat, last year's NFL sack leader with 19. And now next up, none other than the Lions' Aiden Hutchinson, the NFL's current sack leader with 6½ in four games and, of course, the NFC Defensive Player of the Month honor for September (the first Lion to win this award in the past decade), with 4½ of those sacks coming against Tampa Bay. After that comes San Francisco's Nick Bosa. Fair warning for Cowboys tackles Terence Steele and rookie Tyler Guyton – if he plays. Guyton left the Steelers game with a knee injury but was listed on Wednesday's practice report as fully participating. If the Cowboys are smart, they sure better get Tyler Smith, who moved over from left guard to left tackle on Sunday, ready to play tackle again, meaning T.J. Bass should get practice snaps as well at left guard, where he was inserted against the Steelers, just in case.
- Bland Attack: The Cowboys started cornerback DaRon Bland's 21-day ramp-up on injured reserve, practicing fully Wednesday for the first time after suffering that fractured fifth metatarsal back on Aug. 22 in training camp. He has missed his required four games on IR and could be activated by 3 p.m. Saturday if he's ready to play. Otherwise, he gets another week of recovery/rehab during the following week's bye. Also practicing fully after missing the past two games is cornerback Caelen Carson, who had taken Bland's place in the starting lineup before suffering his debilitating shoulder injury.
- Small Bites: By the way, no Micah Parsons on Wednesday, after missing the Steelers game, out rehabbing his high ankle sprain on the resistance cords, and at this point doubtful to play Sunday, though the Cowboys likely will take a close look at potential availability for the next three days … While the Cowboys have held the past two opponents to just 118 yards rushing combined in the past two games, here come the Lions, averaging 151.3 yards rushing in their first four games, both Jahmyr Gibbs (285) and David Montgomery (271) having rushed for more than 200 yards while together posting seven rushing touchdowns total, causing Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to say, "Obviously, this team we are getting ready to play now, they'll test us, be one of those good tests" … Dak Prescott's 352 yards passing Sunday against the Steelers now has the Cowboys ranked second in the NFL, averaging 271.6 passing yards … That performance sent Dak into some pretty fancy 350 Club, his 16th career game with at least 350 yards passing and multiple touchdowns, tying him for third most since his career began in 2016, trailing just Patrick Mahomes (21) and Tom Brady (18).
Thought these last words from Zimmer were very appropriate, considering Lewis' play so far in this Cowboys' 3-2 season, potentially cranking out the best season of his eight-year career. And Zimm's words are very timely since the Detroit native is about to play his hometown Lions.
"He's a tough little bugger," Zimmer said of Lewis, who has played 67.1 percent of the Cowboys defensive snaps in five games, primarily on the nickel while manning the slot. "A competitor. Every time I say base personnel, he kind of looks at me, he's mad, meaning, 'I can get in there with those big guys.' I know you can, but he's just a tough competitor, good leader, works hard at practice, wants to make plays all the time. Just the kind of guy you really like to have."
Lewis, who missed 11 games in 2022 after suffering a severe foot injury with broken bones and torn ligaments on the top of his foot and needing a plate inserted five screws to promote healing, saying his foot looked like a "potato" before the surgery, has 17 tackles so far this season, second among the corners, and has done a fine job in coverage, especially for his 5-10 size.
When Zimmer was asked if his play is a tone-setter, he said, "Yeah, it can be, especially when he's not a big, a big stature guy. I call him pit bull because he'll mix it up pretty well. … He's kind of his own guy."
Got that right.
