Analysis | Dan Campbell went for two and went for two and went for two. It didn’t work.

“I told the offense that we were going down, 1:41 left, we were going to go down and score and then we were going to go for two and finish this game out,” Campbell said afterward. “I told them that. And so that’s what we were doing.”

The intrigue and chaos began when the Lions pulled to within a point on quarterback Jared Goff’s 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with 23 seconds remaining. There was no hesitation by Campbell as he left his offense on the field, seeking a potential game-winning two-point conversion instead of a tying extra point that likely would have sent the game to overtime.

The Lions appeared to convert on a gadget play on which Goff completed a pass in the end zone to offensive tackle Taylor Decker. But the officials disallowed the conversion, penalizing Decker for illegal touching of a forward pass because he supposedly had not reported to referee Brad Allen as an eligible receiver before the play.

Campbell said he was told by the officials that another offensive lineman who came on the field for the play, Dan Skipper, reported as an eligible receiver for the play but Decker did not.

“The explanation was, ‘[No.] 70 reported,’ ” Campbell said, referring to Skipper.

Asked whether Decker actually had reported as an eligible receiver, Campbell said: “Yes.”

Campbell, referring to Decker by his jersey No. 68, also said: “Two people can’t report. I don’t want to talk about it, all right? I explained everything pregame to a T. Okay? I did that. [No.] 70 reported…. [No.] 68 didn’t…. That was the explanation.”

But John Parry, the former NFL referee who is ESPN’s rules analyst, said on the network’s postgame show: “Two is not the issue. The issue here tonight is: Did Brad Allen hear? Did Brad Allen recognize visually or verbally with No. 68? I don’t think he does. I think he sees [No.] 70 come off the sideline, follows him all the way in. I’m guessing that Brad Allen, based on his mannerisms, his eyes, where his hat is [pointed], never recognized him.”

Allen said in a pool report that Skipper “reported to me as eligible.” Allen said that Decker “did not report.”

Allen also said, “So the issue is number 70 did report, number 68 did not.”

Allen said he informed the Cowboys defense that Skipper had reported as an eligible receiver. Allen also said that based on where Skipper lined up after reporting as an eligible receiver, the Lions also were penalized for an illegal formation.

Replays showed both Skipper and Decker approaching Allen prior to the play. Parry said the eligible-receiver designation is not reviewable by instant replay and it is the player’s responsibility to make certain the referee knows that he is reporting as an eligible receiver.

“I think in this case when you watch Brad and his movements and him focusing on No. 70,” Parry said, “I don’t think Decker… and Brad Allen ever connected…. Absolutely it is on the player. It’s a unique play. It’s a gadget play. You want to make sure that the referee definitely knows what position you’re playing.”

Goff said during his postgame news conference that he was “pretty confused.” Goff said he knew that Decker reported as an eligible receiver and that Skipper did not.

The five-yard penalty on the Lions backed them up to the 7-yard line. Even then, Campbell did not change his mind and kick the extra point.

“We were going for the win,” Campbell said.

The Lions failed again, on an incompletion thrown by Goff. But the Cowboys were penalized for pass rusher Micah Parsons being offside. With the ball at the 3-yard line for their third attempt, the Lions failed for good when another pass by Goff fell incomplete.

Campbell’s aggressiveness was on display throughout the game. The Lions had a successful first-half fake punt on fourth and two from their own 28-yard line. On the same drive, they failed on a fourth-and-goal attempt from the Dallas 4-yard line. They converted on fourth and two from the Dallas 41-yard line on their way to a three-yard touchdown run by tailback David Montgomery in the third quarter.

Campbell was asked by a reporter about his frustration before the coach exited his postgame news conference.

“Would you be frustrated right now?” he said. “I don’t like losing…. And that’s what happened. We lost. That bothers me, you know. That bothers me. I don’t like having an L. So that’s the frustration. I’m sorry. I don’t mean it at you.”

The Cowboys ended a two-game losing streak. They extended their home winning streak to 16 games. And they won on a night when they finally enshrined Jimmy Johnson, their former two-time Super Bowl-winning coach, in their ring of honor.

“Rightfully so,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during a halftime ceremony. “Welcome to the ring of honor.”

With Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin among the Cowboys greats standing nearby, Johnson said: “More than anyone else, thank you Jerry Jones for bringing me to the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry and I worked shoulder to shoulder. We took a team that was the worst in the NFL and in a short time we won Super Bowls and became the team of the ’90s.”

Johnson finished his on-field halftime speech by saying: “Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I’ve just got one more thing to say: How ’bout them Cowboys?!”

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw a pair of touchdown passes in a 26-for-38, 345-yard performance. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a 13-catch, 227-yard receiving night. Lamb had a touchdown on a 92-yard catch, on a first-quarter play that began with Prescott barely eluding being tackled in his own end zone for a safety.

Kicker Brandon Aubrey provided a pair of field goals. His 43-yarder increased the Cowboys’ lead to 20-13 with 1:41 remaining, setting up the Lions’ final drive and the two-point madness.

The Cowboys, who previously had clinched a playoff spot, improved their record to 11-5, moving to within a half-game of the first-place Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. The Eagles host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Lions fell to 11-5. They already have clinched the NFC North.

“We’ll see them in a couple weeks,” Campbell said. “It’ll be good.”