Lions fans woke up hurting Sunday morning.
A 2-point conversion was wiped away by what appears to be an officiating blunder, as Taylor Decker’s reception was nullified by an illegal touching penalty. Decker was ruled ineligible despite appearing to report as such to referee Brad Allen just before the play.
The fallout from that moment — which also may have been avoided by another blown tripping call on the Cowboys’ previous drive — got a lot uglier for Detroit fans Sunday afternoon when the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles.
Had the Lions walked out of Dallas with a win Saturday night, they’d have clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC with Sunday’s surprise result in Philly, and they’d still be in the running for the top seed.
But instead, the 49ers have clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and the Lions need some help getting the 2-seed.
Detroit now has to beat Minnesota on Sunday, and have the Cowboys lose at Washington AND the Eagles lose at New York in Week 18 in order to get the better seed.
The apparent officiating error could mean the difference in the Lions hosting a potential second-round playoff game or playing on the road.
If the Lions are the 3-seed, barring a first-round upset, they would have to either head back to Dallas or into a hostile Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in the second round — a far less enticing prospect than welcoming one of those teams into Ford Field.
Dan Campbell didn't shy away from the idea, though, saying he wants another crack at the Cowboys.
With other results around the league Sunday, it’s looking more and more like Detroit could be destined for a playoff date with former QB Matthew Stafford. As the Rams held on to beat the Giants thanks to a missed Mason Crosby field goal, LA now sits in the 6-seed.
Next Sunday the Rams face the 49ers, who have nothing left to play for, meaning LA could be largely going up against their reserves, paving a clear path to a matchup with Detroit, should the Eagles or Cowboys manage to win.