Lions QB Jared Goff threw a TD to Amon-Ra St Brown late in the game, adding a potential game-winning two-point conversion with a successful pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker... only for the effort to be ruled out in dramatic fashion by the officials, handing victory to the Cowboys
Sunday 31 December 2023 08:53, UK
The Dallas Cowboys edged out the Detroit Lions 20-19 in a nail-biting finish to their Saturday night clash, which saw Detroit score with 23 seconds left but denied the go-ahead two-point conversion.
Jared Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St Brown in the dying embers of the game, then adding the two-point conversion with a successful pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker in the end zone.
But that go-ahead two-point try was ultimately wiped out in dramatic fashion when the officials said Decker didn't report as an eligible receiver for the play. Goff then threw an incompletion to confirm a Cowboys win.
Dak Prescott threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns (and one interception for the Cowboys (11-5), who stretched their unbeaten run at home to 16 games!. Goff finished with 271 passing yards, one TD and two picks.
CeeDee Lamb caught 13 passes for 227 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown in the first quarter that nudged Dallas ahead after the Lions had opened the scoring with a 41-yard Michael Badgley field goal on their first possession.
Detroit then drove down inside the Cowboys' five-yard line after a successful fake punt play but wound up turning the ball over on downs.
Only with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter did the scoring resume, with the Lions taking the lead on a David Montgomery three-yard touchdown run up the middle, to cap off a 13-play, 74-yard drive.
Brandon Aubrey made a 51-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the quarter to tie the score 10-10, before Detroit regained the lead off the back of another Badgley kick early in the fourth, this one from 30 yards - set up by a 63-yard completion from Goff to Jameson Williams.
The Cowboys responded with a 75-yard scoring drive, capped by an eight-yard TD toss from Prescott to Brandin Cooks with 7:20 left.
Later in the quarter, Donovan Wilson claimed a crucial interception of Goff at Detroit's 29-yard line to help set up an Aubrey 43-yard field goal, to stretch the Cowboys' lead to seven with 1:41 remaining.
The Lions (11-5) would find the end zone again but, rather than attempt to tie the game and force overtime with an extra point, they went for the two-point conversion and the win, only to be ultimately denied by the officials.
Detroit Lions
Dallas Cowboys
The highlight of the week arrives at 6pm on Sunday when the AFC's No 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens (12-4) meet the No 2-seeded Miami Dolphins (11-4) in a potential AFC Championship Game preview, both entering on the back of statement wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.
Following that, at 9.25pm, the wobbling Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) will look to end their poor run of form when they take on the Jake Browning-led Cincinnati Bengals (8-7), who have hopes of keeping their slim playoff chances alive following a heavy defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sunday Night Football then sees the Green Bay Packers (7-8) resume their playoff hunt when they meet their divisional rivals Minnesota Vikings (7-8), who currently occupy the eighth seed just outside of the wild card berths while owning the tie-breaker over Green Bay - kick-off in that one at 1.20am, Monday morning.
