Most of America certainly won’t be too disappointed that the Dallas Cowboys lost 47-9 to the Detroit Lions in Week 6. However, it was the manner in which the Lions won that once again showed that this is a team that can’t ‘act like they’ve been there before.’

Many may not remember, but last season the Lions lost 20-19 to the Cowboys in Week 17 due to a controversial performance. On a two-point conversion, the Lions sent offensive lineman Taylor Decker to report as eligible before the game. However, there was some confusion and a penalty was imposed for illegal touching after failing to report to the officials as an eligible recipient.

The Cowboys’ win gave them the tiebreaker over the Lions, securing the number two seed for the playoffs. However, none of it mattered much as the Lions made it to the NFC Championship while the Cowboys lost in the first round. If any team was affected by the call, it was the Rams who had to play the Lions instead of a Cowboys team that stumbled again in the playoffs.

However, none of that seemed to matter on Sunday, as Dan Campbell and Lions got their revenge. Not only did the Lions dismantle the Cowboys in Week 6, they also made sure to remind everyone of the missed call nine months ago. On several occasions, the Lions reported an offensive lineman’s eligibility and made them a key part of the game.

It was the ultimate act of pettiness from Dan Campbell and the lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game that has no place in the NFL. The Lions are a team that wants to be seen as one of the best, but can’t seem to play with a ‘pretend you’ve been there before’ attitude. The Cowboys were not responsible for the missed call. That would have been referee Brad Allen, who officiated the Bears-Jaguars game in London. John Hussey was the referee at the Lions game on Sunday.

In recent history, the only act by an NFL head coach that even comes close to that level of pettiness is what Jeff Fisher did against Washington in 2014. Before the game, Fisher sent off Janoris Jenkins, Zac Stacy, Stedman Bailey and Greg Robinson on the road. , and Alec Ogletree as captains for the pre-match coin toss. The common theme among all these players was that they were selected with picks acquired from the RGIII trade two years earlier.

At that point, Washington had a new head coach other than Mike Shanahan, who had drafted RGIII. Sean McVay, not Kyle Shanahan, was the offensive coordinator. RGIII didn’t even start the game. Colt McCoy played for the former number two overall pick who was injured at the time.

The Rams won the game, but it was their last win of the season as they finished 6-10. But hey, at least they showed Washington in what was a meaningless Week 14 game in December.

These are the kinds of things you encounter at the high school level against two rival teams with head coaches who don’t like each other. One team can increase the score because they remember the other team doing it three years ago. It’s just not something that should be happening at the NFL level.

Maybe next time the Lions play the San Francisco 49ers, Campbell will take the points and make field goals to come back, having blown a 24-7 lead in the NFC Championship game.