Only the Detroit Lions can get royally screwed by the refs in a recreation they are not even enjoying. Thanks partially to missteps by NFL officers within the Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams recreation, in keeping with ESPN, the Lions’ playoff hopes Sunday have been dashed earlier than Detroit took to Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter studies some across the NFL assume the “Lions needs to be furious” about a number of pro-Seahawks calls in a recreation Seattle gained in additional time, 19-16, to maintain Dan Campbell and Co. out of the playoffs.
“Multiple executives and coaches mentioned the NFL must reevaluate the way it chooses and trains its officiating employees for future seasons,” Schefter wrote late Friday. “… Even the NFL’s competitors committee is conscious of what one supply described to ESPN ‘because the worst officiated recreation of the yr.'”
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The committee, a bunch of league coaches and executives that look at guidelines and officiating practices every offseason, was pissed off by the Seattle-LA recreation, as have been the Lions and Rams, Schefter studies.
“One supply informed ESPN this week that the NFL should do a greater job of screening, hiring and coaching its officers,” he mentioned, “the league cannot have video games through which groups’ seasons are on the road and have questionable and impactful calls akin to those within the Rams-Seahawks Week 18 recreation.”
To recap, the Lions wanted a Seahawks loss Sunday plus a win over the Green Bay Packers to clinch the seventh and remaining spot within the NFC playoffs. (The Packers may have clinched a spot with a win whatever the Seahawks’ end result.) Seattle performed Sunday afternoon whereas Detroit performed at night time, that means the Lions knew the results of that recreation after they took the sector.
Despite being conscious of the Seahawks’ win, which eradicated the Lions, Campbell’s crew dispatched the Packers on the street and prevented their rival from making the playoffs.
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But how unhealthy was the officiating out in LA? To be honest, Lions followers are used to complaining about refs — they did so whereas overcoming questionable calls in the course of the Packers recreation — so that is nothing new, proper?
Well:
∙ A running-into-the-kicker penalty on LA with 8:47 left within the fourth quarter mustn’t have been known as. The flagged participant Rams was pushed into Seahawks punter Michael Dickson, that means the flag ought to have been picked up. The Seahawks have been trailing by three on the time, and as a substitute of punting to the Rams from their very own 21 with about 9 minutes of recreation time left, they maintained possession and tied it at 16 with simply over 2 minutes left.
∙ Later within the quarter, tied at 16, Rams nook Jalen Ramsey was known as for an pointless roughness infraction on Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith that may make Dick Lane shudder in disbelief. Not solely did officers presumably err in throwing the flag within the first place (it seems Ramsey was pushed out of bounds similtaneously Smith ran out of bounds, inflicting the 2 to collide) however Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf was seen sticking his finger inside Ramsey’s facemask after the play, which ought to have prompted a penalty. The “pointless roughness” pushed Seattle into fringe area purpose territory with lower than a minute left, however kicker Jason Myers finally missed a 46-yard area purpose try.
· In additional time, Smith doubtless ought to have been flagged for intentional grounding. His go below duress with 9:26 within the further body fell 10 yards in need of another Seahawks participant.
· The remaining gaffe included a former Lions draft choose: Seahawks defensive again Quandre Diggs taunted an opponent whereas choosing off Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield with about 8-and-a-half minutes left. Replays confirmed Diggs pointing on the Rams’ Bobby Wagner, a former teammate in Seattle. Had it been flagged, Seattle’s drive would have began at its personal 21 as a substitute of its personal 36; that possession ended with Myers’ kicking a playoff-clinching 32-yard area purpose.
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With all that being mentioned, none of these calls led on to factors; the Rams had extra possibilities to cease the Seahawks after the primary questionable flag, however let that remaining fourth-quarter drive drag on for 5 extra minutes of recreation time. Mayfield and the Rams additionally earned only one first down in the course of the fourth quarter and additional time.
A supply informed Schefter the league wants a solution to “mitigate” such errors in a vital recreation, however no options have been provided in Friday’s story. The Lions — thanks largely to a top-10 offense and younger, enhancing protection — accomplished a shocking season by successful eight of their final 10 video games to complete 9-8 and 5-1 within the NFC North.
But now Detroit followers are left with this quote whereas they watch this weekend’s playoff video games, together with Saturday’s Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers matchup:
“The Lions needs to be furious,” one supply informed ESPN. “It was an terrible method for them to finish their season.”
Seattle Seahawks security Quandre Diggs (6) intercepts a go meant for Los Angeles Rams vast receiver Van Jefferson (12) in the course of the additional time of an NFL soccer recreation Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Follow the Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for extra information. Tyler Davis will be contacted at tjdavis@freepress.com or on Twitter @TDavisFreep.
This article initially appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bad Rams-Seahawks calls helped preserve Lions out of playoffs: ESPN
