That one play didn’t cost the Lions the game. Even if they got the flag at the Dallas 29-yard line, the Cowboys could have held Detroit to a field goal and won with a touchdown. But forget about the hypotheticals. The Lions had several chances to overcome that instance of bad luck (if you view it that way). Feel you got screwed by the officials? Fine, take matters into your own hands and go for it on fourth-and-1 in Dallas territory. Lions coach Jim Caldwell should have taken a timeout, refocused his team and gone for it. If you don’t make it, there’s a good chance you get the ball back with more time than the 2:32 Detroit was ultimately left with, tied or trailing. But Caldwell, as he is wont to do, froze in a big spot. He got out-coached by Jason Garrett, who ended up going for it on fourth-and-6 at the Detroit 42 when he didn’t have to. But even with Caldwell’s mental miscue, there were still 23-plus plays of football left for the Lions to make something happen, and they didn’t. It started with Sam Martin’s 10-yard punt (that’s not a typo). The Cowboys began the game-winning drive at their own 41. The Lions allowed conversions on a fourth down and two third downs during that drive, including the eight-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Williams. The Lions gave the Cowboys two first downs on (correctly called) penalties. And then, with plenty of time left to win the game, the Lions allowed not one but two strip-sacks of Stafford, one of which the Cowboys even gave back. Were any of those plays handed to the Cowboys by the officials? Did the officials make sure that Detroit only scored three points in the second half? If the Lions make just one more play after the picked-up flag, they win the game. They didn’t, and that’s why they lost. Not the officials, nor any grand conspiracy supposedly hatched in the league office. Over the course of 125 offensive plays between Dallas and Detroit, the Cowboys were the better team, even with a missed gimme 41-yard field goal. They converted more third downs, plus two fourth downs, and turned the ball over fewer times. Detroit had a chance to bury Dallas early in the second half and didn’t.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 06:31:45 +0000
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