Official Brad Allen’s referee crew was a serious storyline in one more primetime NFL sport this season when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions, and it may price them an opportunity within the playoffs.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter defined on Sunday that the league makes use of blended crews for the playoffs and can grade Allen’s group accordingly after Saturday.
“A big a part of Brad Allen’s crew shouldn’t be going to be officiating within the postseason,” he mentioned. “They’ll get downgraded, and the possibilities are that a lot of them aren’t going to be concerned within the postseason.”
The newest subject got here throughout the Cowboys’ 20-19 win the place it appeared the Lions took the lead within the remaining 30 seconds with a late two-point conversion on a trick-play completion to offensive sort out Taylor Decker.
Nevertheless, Allen’s crew mentioned Decker by no means reported as eligible and penalized Detroit.
The Lions nonetheless had two photographs at it since they went for 2 from the Cowboys’ 7-yard line and tried it once more when Dallas dedicated an offside penalty. Nevertheless, they didn’t get into the top zone on both try and misplaced by one level.
The Decker play was so controversial as a result of he mentioned after the sport that he did report as eligible. What’s extra, head coach Dan Campbell mentioned he instructed the officers that play could be coming earlier than the sport even began.
But Allen gave a contradictory account in a pool report and mentioned it was offensive lineman Dan Skipper who reported as eligible and never Decker.
This is not the primary time Allen’s crew has been on the heart of controversy.
He officiated the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ Week 13 loss to the Inexperienced Bay Packers. Kansas Metropolis’s remaining drive included a number of notable officiating moments, together with an overturned misplaced fumble by large receiver Rashee Rice, the ejection of operating again Isiah Pacheco for swinging at a Packers participant and Inexperienced Bay’s Jonathan Owens being issued a private foul for hitting Patrick Mahomes whereas he was nonetheless in bounds.
But it was a non-call on an apparent cross interference by Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine on a deep ball to Marquez Valdes-Scantling that stood out probably the most. Had it been referred to as, the Chiefs would have been effectively inside scoring vary with an opportunity to tie it up.
Allen’s crew additionally missed an apparent cross interference throughout a November sport between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.
The NFL certainly would not need the officiating to be the first story in these playoff video games, and the league will reportedly reply in sort in relation to Allen’s crew.