It wouldn’t be an NFL weekend without a little controversy, and Sunday’s action delivered those in spades. This week, the Detroit Lions were on the wrong end of a controversial call as a last second touchdown they thought had won the game was called back and the time run off the clock ended the game before they got another chance to go for the win.
Controversies like these are bound to affect the odds for next football game, but the Lions have to figure out how to leave it in the past and focus on winning their next game.
After the game, Cornelius Washington was in no mood to talk but did let reporters know that he felt the team got cheated by the referees. After he made the comment, he was asked to say it again so the reporters could get a sound bite they could play later, but Washington wasn’t having any of it and declined to repeat himself.
Despite the frustration the Lions felt after the game, the call made by the referees was actually the right call.
After watching replays of the touchdown, it appears that receiver Golden Tate, who scored what was initially ruled a touchdown, had his left knee down for a second before he crossed the plane. Even if Tate’s knee hadn’t touched the ground, he had been touched by Atlanta defender Brian Poole, which automatically made him down before he entered the end zone.
After the game, Lions coach Jim Caldwell argued that even if the call made by the refs was the right one, they should have had at least eight seconds put back on the clock that would have allowed them to have another chance to win the game.
The Lions have shown in the past what they can do with a few seconds left on the clock, so it is understandable that Caldwell and his team were confident they would have scored if given another chance.
Despite their disappointment, the Lions coaching staff and players didn’t complain as much as their fans, who felt this was the latest in a series of bad calls that have gone against the team in recent years.
Detroit had plenty of opportunities to put this one away but failed to do so, putting themselves in the situation they were in at the end of the game. If they had taken advantage of the opportunities they had during the game, they wouldn’t have needed a last second touchdown to win the game.
After the game, Golden Tate was asked for his opinion of the controversial play. Tate told the reporters he thought he had scored a touchdown, after he heard there would be a review, he looked at the play a few times and thought it could go either way.
Tate added that he didn’t know about the 10-second runoff until he was talking to the refs and they brought it to his attention.
Despite the refs making the right call in this situation, Lions fans are still rightfully upset because it seems things like this always happen to their Lions. However, since the refs made the right call, they have to find a way to let it go.
