If controversy is the way we gauge how much fun we had during NFL Wild Card Weekend, then the Lions, Cowboys game was clearly the highlight!
After having led for most of the game, the Lions squandered a 20-17 lead, giving up a bullet passed by Tony Romo to the back of the end zone with 2:30 left to go. With the Cowboys now up 24-20, Matthew Stafford attempted to run a last-chance offensive stand, Alas, a forced fumble ended it, sending the Lions home, and the Cowboys to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the divisional round.
Sounds simple enough. Except, there was a play with over 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter that has NFL fans in Detroit and beyond up in arms.
With the lead, the Lions were stringing a drive together. On 3rd and 1 in plus-territory, Stafford dropped back to pass, finding Brandon Pettigrew a good 20 yards downfield. Except, Pettigrew, tangled up in Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, doesn’t catch the ball. The flag is thrown. Defensive pass interference is called. The first down is given. Again, fairly simple. Except that the officials later took the penalty back.
Out of nowhere, after the penalty had already been announced, the officiating crew decided that no pass interference had happened after all, and that it was 4th down.
Cue the panic. When Detroit eventually lost the game (c’mon, it was Detroit, we saw that coming), players and fans alike pointed at that play as the reason the Lions were headed home. ESPN commentators tore the play to shreds. Fans shamed the NFL for allowing such a thing to happen. Even Dean Blandino, the NFL Head of Officiating, came forward and acknowledged the blown call. Or, rather, the correct call that was taken back.
At the end of the day, though, the Lions lost. Fans want to believe that it was the fault of that one play. All of a sudden, everyone is looking back at the game for every possible penalty. Dez Bryant coming out onto the field without a helmet. Ndamukong Suh being held on a critical 4th down opportunity. Anything that could be found WAS found.
The only thing that couldn’t be found, though, was the Lions clutch factor. It is absolutely understandable, as a fan, to be furious that the officiating played a role in such a pivotal moment. But that was one minute of play. What is the excuse for the other 59 minutes? What’s the excuse for the fact that the Lions had over two minutes left on the clock at the end of the game with the chance to win, and didn’t? Where is the argument that the Lions could have had their foot more firmly on the gas and been winning by 14, rather than three, in the fourth quarter? Where is the second-ranked Lions defense, who gave the Cowboys the ball in a home-field advantage situation late in the game, allowing them to march down the field in 11 plays for the game-winning score?
The bottom line is this: the officiating team screwed up. The call should have favored the Lions. They should have had excellent field position, and held onto the ball a little longer, burning more time off the clock. The Cowboys should have had a harder time stealing the victory late in the game like that. But, when all was said and done, the Lions let one minute be the excuse for 59 other minutes of football.
A team that allows a play midway through the fourth quarter to be their excuse for relinquishing the lead and eventually losing the game lacks the winning pedigree necessary to make a championship run. THAT is why Detroit will be watching next week’s games from the couch.
No comments:
Post a Comment