Cowboys Beat Lions on Controversial Call

The Dallas Cowboys will face the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round thanks to a reverse pass-interference call against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, causing uproar and allowing the Cowboys a comeback 24-20 victory at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With the Lions leading 20-17 in the fourth quarter, referee Pete Morelli canceled a pass-interference call without explanation on Cowboys rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who was defending Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew. The penalty would have given the Lions a first down, but instead they unsuccessfully tried to draw the Cowboys offside and eventually shanked a punt. The Cowboys came back with quarterback Tony Romo’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams. “The back judge threw his flag for defensive pass interference,” Morelli later explained in a pool report. “We got information from another official from a different angle that though the contact was minimal and didn’t warrant pass interference. He thought it was face guarding.”