Yahoo Sports Detroit reacts as you would imagine after multiple blown calls cost Lions win over Packers
A massive win for the Detroit Lions slipped away against the Green Bay Packers on Monday, and it was the officials who seemed to be doing most of the pulling.
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Holding a 22-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter, a set of blown calls revived one Packers drive that resulted in a touchdown, killed the Lions’ chance at responding with a score of their own and set up a chip-shot field goal for the win for Mason Crosby.
Lions get robbed vs. Packers
First up was a “hands to the face” penalty against Lions defensive end Trey Flowers that turned a sack of Aaron Rodgers and fourth-and-21 situation into first-and-10 for the Packers in Detroit territory.
Subsequent replay showed that Flowers was holding Packers tackle David Bakhtiari’s shoulder pads, not his facemask.
What “hands to the face” looks like
From a punt to a TD, all because of the refs. Just disgusting. pic.twitter.com/K2ho1fBFEy— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 15, 2019
The Packers would later score on a Rodgers touchdown pass.
During the Lions’ next drive, Matthew Stafford uncorked a deep pass to Marvin Jones that would have set up a prime scoring opportunity for the Lions. Packers safety Will Redmond defended the pass by draping his arm over Jones’ chest and arms without looking at the ball. The refs did not call pass interference on the resulting incompletion.
Sorry not the outcome we want.. no pass interference here 😂 I’m sorry for you guys out in Detroit #LambeauRefs pic.twitter.com/f8DzHj818j
— Rick Sosa (@sosarick) October 15, 2019
History repeated when the Packers got the ball back and entered the red zone, as Flowers was again called for hands to the face against Bakhtiari. Again, replay showed Flowers’ hands on Bakhtiari’s shoulder pads.
ESPN analyst Booger McFarland simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He probably wasn’t alone.
GTFOH pic.twitter.com/irgK1acrrQ
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 15, 2019
Flowers went so far as to reportedly demonstrate where he grabbed Bakhtiari after the game.
Trey Flowers was still in his pads when reporters were let into the Lions locker room. He said he did not commit a penalty.
Flowers demonstrated where he grabs at the pads and said he’s done that his entire career and throughout the game.— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 15, 2019
Add up those three missed calls plus a bogus unnecessary roughness penalty earlier in the game, and you have quite a few Lions fans correctly arguing that the officiating cost them the game. Instead of 3-1-1, the Lions are now 2-2-1 and in last place in the NFC North.
Detroit, other football fans not happy with blown calls
Quite a few Detroit figures and football fans were mad online after the game, including the best player in Lions history, a Twitch superstar who was born in Detroit and attending the game and the city’s paper of record.
I know that no one on the @lions can say it, so I will... that is a terrible missed call, on hands to the face and bad break for our D that is playing so hard. #replayhelpneeded
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) October 15, 2019
That is sickening... the @NFL needs to look at a way to prevent that from happening. Two phantom hands to the face calls really hurts us tonight. Yes, we could have scored TDs, but @Lions played too well to have the game end this way. #DETvsGB @espn
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) October 15, 2019
🤬4 major blown calls tonight , all four went against the Lions. DB going for the INT called for Unnecessary Roughness. A non call on a blatant DPI . Then two ridiculous calls for hands to the face. Refs can’t guess and can’t get these wrong. Lions would’ve won by 2 scores @NFL
— Jack Del Rio (@coachdelrio) October 15, 2019
How much are the Packers paying the refs
— Ninja (@Ninja) October 15, 2019
Literally never going to another game again. Cancelling my tickets to the Lions game.
— Ninja (@Ninja) October 15, 2019
And to think one of the 2 hands to the face calls was against the @Lions @III_Flowers on this play. One set up a touchdown and the other a game winning field goal for the @packers . It's 2019 and we need to get these calls right. #OnePride #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/jhGjpCqUBh
— Merril Hoge (@merrilhoge) October 15, 2019
Don’t blame us Detroit. We're not the ones who pushed the “refs are trash” button.
— Buffalo Wild Wings (@BWWings) October 15, 2019
After what I’ve seen in the past two weeks I’m convinced the league do not want the Lions to win. EVER! It’s not sour grapes either it’s true. The league owes the Lions an apology!
— Ken Kal (@KenKalDRW) October 15, 2019
The bogus personal foul and the non call Pass Interference was six more points. Four wrong calls is hard to imagine. https://t.co/GUoT0h7JV4
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) October 15, 2019
Here's my initial thoughts on the ref's absolute CHOKE JOB in Green Bay. #Lions were screwed, yes they missed chances on FG's not being TD's, no denying that, but these calls directly effected the outcome. pic.twitter.com/qCCiBY2V1F
— Justin Rose (@JRoseWXYZ) October 15, 2019
Van Pelt and Booger destroying the refs, as they should. Rip the Lions all you want for not scoring in the red zone. Totally fair. But they did make plays down the stretch that the refs wiped away.
— Bob Wojnowski (@bobwojnowski) October 15, 2019
Final: Packers 23, Lions 22.
Lions blow a 13-point lead, settle for 5 field goals and have multiple blown calls go against them but, on the bright side, in 5 billion years the sun will swell into a red giant, vaporize the Earth and obliterate all evidence of this game happening— Detroit Free Press (@freep) October 15, 2019
Watching the Detroit Lions is like eating a sandwich
Except the sandwich is on fire
You're on fire
Everything's on fire
And you're in hell
Watching the Lions— Detroit Free Press (@freep) October 15, 2019
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