Lions OT Dan Skipper Running a Route vs. Cowboys Had NFL Fans Howling With Joy

Screengrab on Twitter/ @MySportsUpdate
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The waning minutes of the Detroit Lions’ 47–9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday featured something fans don’t typically see everyday: A big man running a route as a wide receiver.

The Lions, who had been not-so-secretly trolling Dallas all game by trying to design a play for one of their offensive lineman, pulled out another savage move during garbage time in Sunday’s blowout victory.

Detroit tried to get Taylor Decker on the board with a redzone target earlier in the game, but the pass was incomplete. Penei Sewell appeared to score a touchdown on the end of a cool hook-and-ladder play, but it was wiped away due to an ineligible man downfield penalty.

Then, with just over four minutes to go in the game, Lions OC Ben Johnson decided to get really freaky with his play designs, putting OT Dan Skipper out wide and making him run a route.

Here’s the play:

Skipper, who reported as an eligible receiver on the very first offensive play for the Lions this game, was one of two offensive lineman caught up in the controversy of last season’s loss to Dallas, when the Lions were penalized for an ineligible receiver on a 2-point conversion try.

“I like the twitch, okay, he’s got a little more burst,” Fox announcer Tom Brady said of Skipper’s route-running skills.

NFL fans sure got a kick out of this one.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.