Sure, Dan Campbell could have challenged the spot after tight end Brock Wright was ruled down at the one-yard line in the fourth quarter of the Lions' loss to the Cowboys on Sunday. Replays showed Wright was shy of the end zone, but a better spot would have brought the Lions closer to a touchdown and a 12-10 lead.
Then again, they had four chances to gain one yard behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and a few extra inches probably wasn't worth risking a timeout late in a close game.
Campbell never got the go-ahead to challenge from his replay specialists in the booth and Jamaal Williams fumbled away the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing snap. In the moment, Campbell threw his headset to the ground in frustration. A day later, he doesn't think he would have done anything differently.
"Yeah, I don't know. It probably wasn't clear enough to challenge it knowing you've got four downs on the one," Campbell said Monday. "So I don't – we're good."
Williams' fumble was the turning point in the Lions' eventual 24-6 loss. Another key moment came early in the second half when Jared Goff was picked off by Trevon Diggs, who appeared to bobble the ball as he hit the ground. The interception was reviewed and confirmed by the NFL despite the CBS broadcast team saying otherwise, but it was another example of the Lions being on the wrong end of a controversial call in a road game against the Cowboys.
"Yeah, I do know what you're referring to, but honestly, I don't even speak of it," Campbell said when asked what he tells his team about questionable calls by the refs. "We don't even address it because it's out of our control, being honest with you."
The Lions were infamously wronged in the 2014 playoffs in Dallas when the officials picked up a flag for a clear pass interference penalty against the Cowboys, a fourth quarter turning point in Detroit's 24-20 loss. Campbell knows how it feels. He and the Saints were wronged in the 2018 NFC Championship when the officials missed a clear pass interference penalty against the Rams, a fourth quarter turning point in New Orleans' 26-23 loss.
"Look, I came from New Orleans, so we felt the same way there," Campbell said. "I'm no stranger to any of that stuff. But I know the best way to handle it is honestly, you've got to look past it. If you just dwell on it and think about it and feel like you got screwed, you're doing nothing. You're just going to wallow in despair, because you have no control over it.
"And it doesn't matter, you can complain about it and you'll get the, 'Well, sorry' (from the NFL). And it doesn't change anything. So the faster you can get over that and just accept the fact that what's done is done, the better off you're going to be."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
