The Detroit Lions took down the Green Bay Packers 20-17 on Sunday, pushing Green Bay to a tough 4-3 record and last place in the NFC North, all thanks to some absolutely wild roughing the passer calls that are blowing up online. The Lions, now at 4-2, got more than a little help from the officials to pull off this win, and the league is definitely noticing.
The First “Gift” That Kept on Giving
With 4:06 left in the third quarter and Detroit holding a slim 17-14 lead, things got instantly questionable. Packers linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. got flagged for a soft roughing the passer call after Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw an incomplete pass on third-and-10. This play looked like a clear punt situation for Detroit. Fox play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt didn’t even try to hide it, flat out calling the call “a gift.” And he wasn’t wrong. Replays showed Cox barely, and we mean *barely*, touched Goff’s torso with two hands as the QB fell to the turf in what looked like a dramatic sell job. Even Tom Brady called it “not much at all,” and Fox officiating analyst Dean Blandino said, “I don’t like it as roughing.” But the flag flew, gifting the Lions a first down from their own 48. Instead of punting, Detroit kept the drive alive for eight more plays, eventually stalling out on the Green Bay 6-yard line with a failed fourth-and-5 conversion. Imagine the swing there.
The Game-Winning Field Goal Was Set Up By Another Head Scratcher
If you thought the first one was bad, buckle up. With just 2:40 left and the game deadlocked at 17-17, another roughing call dropped like a bomb. This time, Goff completed a pass to Sam LaPorta on second-and-8 for a first down. Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks hit Goff just as he released the ball. He didn’t go low, he didn’t go high, he wasn’t late, and he certainly didn’t drive his body weight into Goff. Brady, watching from the booth, was fuming, exclaiming, “My goodness, what is that? That’s definitely not roughing the passer.” Blandino, the officiating analyst, even called it a “teach-tape tackle,” meaning it was a textbook, clean hit. Yet, a penalty was called. This gave Detroit 33 yards to the Green Bay 40 instead of the original 18-yard gain. The Lions rode that momentum all the way to the Green Bay 4-yard line, setting up Jake Bates for the game-winning field goal as time expired. Would they have gotten there without that late flag? There’s no way to know for sure, but that call absolutely worked in Detroit’s favor.
The Outrage Is Real, And Packers Aren’t Holding Back
The football world erupted. Even All-Pro Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons, still sidelined recovering from torn ACL surgery last season, hopped on social media to vent. He wrote, “Let’s just go to flag football if everytime a qb gets touched it’s roughing the passer!” and tagged the NFL and NFL officiating. Packers coach Matt LaFleur was visibly upset during the game, but he bit his tongue in the postgame presser. “I don’t even want to comment on any of the penalties,” LaFleur said, “I just , it is what it is. You’ve gotta play above it. I thought there were some some tough calls, but it is what it is.” Packers safety Xavier McKinney, however, did not hold back, stating, “I would rather get fined and…” The frustration is palpable, and it’s not hard to see why.
This 20-17 loss, tainted by those flags, shoves Green Bay deeper into the NFC North cellar. These calls are going to hang heavy over the league, and the noise isn’t dying down anytime soon. Teams are watching, fans are fuming. This ain’t over, not by a long shot.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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