Jerry Jones, Martha Firestone Ford before Lions-Cowboys at Ford Field
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former Detroit Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford talk before their teams clash on Dec. 4, 2025 at Ford Field.
Were the Detroit Lions robbed of a safety in the first quarter of the game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football at Ford Field?
Linebacker Jack Campbell came on a blitz and sacked Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the end zone. The play was ruled a safety on the field, giving the Lions a 5-3 lead.
All scoring plays are automatically reviewed, and the call was overturned after a few minutes. The entire ball must be out of the end zone upon first contact by a defender to avoid a safety. If any part of the ball is breaking the plane upon contact, it’s a safety.
Originally, Prime Video did not provide viewers with a clear, definitive look showing the entire ball being out of the end zone.
Watch Lions-Cowboys on Prime Video
The Cowboys punted on the next play and the Lions took over at the Dallas 42-yard line with 5:24 to play in the quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a 1-yard run on the Lions’ ensuing possession for a 10-3 lead.
Originally, Terry McAulay, Prime Video’s referee in the booth, thought the call would stand as a safety without a definitive look of the ball being out of the end zone. But after commercial, the broadcast showed a better look where Prescott appeared to have the ball just outside of the goal line. This was the angle the NFL office in New York used to overturn the call.
“It does appear from this straight down the line [angle] that the entire ball is out of the end zone on this one, so given this angle, they did get it correct,” McAulay said, as play-by-play man Al Michaels and color analyst Kirk Herbstreit agreed.
The Lions (7-5) in essentially a must-win game for both them and the Cowboys (6-5-1), began this week eighth in the NFC playoff standings, the first team out with five games remaining, 1½ games behind seventh-place San Francisco 49ers (9-4).
The Lions don’t play again until Dec. 14 in Week 15 at the Los Angeles Rams (9-3). The Cowboys will host the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 14.
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