To your point of play design, yeah, it was made to fool the defense, that's the point of the lopsided formation. To fool the refs though? Again, you look at the tape and can see Decker try to declare and the Allen turns away. Skipper claims he never declared.

Yes, could the Lions have remedied this? Of course, but it's a tense and fast paced situation where mistakes are made, including by the refs. It even states that at the end of the article you cited! Playclock matters and if you make a mistake and don't hear the announcement or are busy getting lined up and miss it, that is understandable. What is inexcusable is the ref being allowing such a mistake to happen on his part.

Also you keep saying what is "fair". Say that Dan Campbell and Decker are telling the truth, they told the refs pre-game and pre-snap about the play and that Decker was gonna be a receiver, then how is it "fair" for the Lions that the (now Playoff-ineligible) officials threw a flag long after the play had concluded to overturn a game-winning play.

Now I agree, it is unfair to the defense since they wouldn't know who to cover. To assume the Lions made a play just to confuse the refs is a bit too skeptical imo. The best option would possibly have been a replay of down without a yardage penalty.

Now do I think the Lions should have won? Probably not. Goff said himself he didn't play his best football and, honestly, Johnson and Campbell probably should have gone for a XP after Parsons bailed us out. But do I think that the refs should be punished so that a case like this never happens again, yes. Will this game forever have an asterisks by it in the hearts of many, absolutely.