The Lions emerged victorious against the Packers on Sunday, a result that left Green Bay at 4-3, earning them the last spot in the NFC North, trailing 4-2 Detroit by half a game.
Throughout the match, the Lions benefited from some controversial officiating decisions.
The 20-17 victory for Detroit was a closely contested affair toward the end, featuring several questionable roughing the passer calls that did not favor Green Bay. Given the stakes of the game, there was considerable discussion surrounding those calls, almost entirely criticizing how officials adjudicated the contest.
Two specific roughing penalties against Green Bay were particularly noteworthy. The first occurred with 4:06 left in the third quarter while Detroit was leading 17-14.
‘That’s a gift’
Cox made minimal contact with Goff’s torso using two hands as he fell to the ground. Goff reacted dramatically, reclining backward with his legs in the air.
Upon reviewing the play, Tom Brady remarked that it was “not much at all.” Fox’s officiating analyst Dean Blandino commented, “I don’t like it as roughing.”
Nevertheless, the decision was made, gifting the Lions a first down when they would have warranted a punt from their own 48-yard line. Detroit proceeded to run eight additional plays, advancing to the Green Bay 6-yard line before the drive came to a halt with an unsuccessful fourth-and-5 attempt.
Another roughing call helps set up game-winning FG
The subsequent dubious roughing penalty occurred with 2:40 left on the clock, with the score tied at 17-17.
This time, Goff completed a pass for a first down to tight end Sam LaPorta on second-and-8. Defensive tackle Karl Brooks contacted Goff precisely as the quarterback released the ball.
He did not hit Goff low or high, nor did he deliver the blow late or apply his body weight onto Goff.
Again, Brady expressed his disapproval regarding the call.
“My goodness, what is that?” Brady exclaimed. “… That’s definitely not roughing the passer.”
Blandino characterized the tackle as a “teach-tape tackle.”
A penalty was still called. Instead of an 18-yard gain bringing Detroit to the Packers’ 45, the penalty advanced them to Green Bay’s 40. The Lions continued to advance to the Packers’ 4-yard line, culminating in a game-winning field goal by Jake Bates as the clock expired.
Would Detroit have progressed to score without that late roughing penalty? That remains uncertain. However, it is clear that the call favored Detroit.
All-Pro Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons was absent for Sunday’s contest as he is recovering from surgery for a torn ACL he suffered last season. Nonetheless, he was watching and shared his opinions on the officiating via social media.
“Let’s just go to flag football if every time a qb gets touched it’s roughing the passer!” Parsons tweeted while tagging the NFL and NFL officiating.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was noticeably frustrated during the match. He restrained his comments regarding the officiating during his postgame press conference.
“I don’t even want to comment on any of the penalties,” he stated. “I just — it is what it is. You’ve gotta play above it.
“I thought there were some tough calls, but it is what it is.”
However, Packers safety Xavier McKinney did not hold back.
“I would rather get fined and try to help my team out because I see what’s going on, and I see that it’s killing us,” McKinney expressed. “We all see it. We all see what’s going on. Everybody sees what’s going on, the fans see what’s going on. … You’re not even reviewing what you’re calling. …
“Even they’re looking at it, like, OK that’s not it. I’m asking other refs and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m not over there.’ There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense right there.”
