The Detroit Lions haven’t had the greatest of luck when playing against the Dallas Cowboys, but they haven’t been helped by the referees in their losses, either.
Once again, the Lions appear to have been hurt by a weak call against the Cowboys, and Trevon Diggs was the beneficiary. Diggs appeared to make a nice interception of a Jared Goff pass, but it may have been too good to be true.
In real-time, it looked as if Diggs would have had a very time possessing the ball all the way through. Here’s a look at the play as it happened.
.@TrevonDiggs lays out for his 3rd INT of the season!
📺: #DETvsDAL on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/DSA5AKkBhB
The ball appears to move as Diggs goes to the ground, but there was never any call for a review on a turnover from New York or on the field. The play went on, Dallas took the ball and promptly scored a touchdown to flip momentum from the Lions, who led 6-3 at halftime. Dallas would go on to win the game.
Lions fans were downright frustrated with the development, and took to Twitter to blast the referees for what played out on the field. As some fans said, it figures that the team wouldn’t catch any breaks at all.
“I will live a full life and die before the Lions every catch a f***** break,” the account tweeted.
As known Lions fanatic Andy Isaac was fast to point out, the Lions always seem to get screwed in Dallas by a close call.
Oh wow, we’re getting screwed by a call in Dallas. That has literally never happened before 🙄
“Oh wow, we’re getting screwed by a call in Dallas. That has literally never happened before,” Isaac tweeted.
Others were simply furious about the way the refs conducted themselves in the game and how they missed such an obvious review on the field.
“It amazes me how the NFL refs will do anything they can for the Cowboys to win the game, and for the Lions to lose. They just choose not to review an interception?? Since when is that ever a thing?? DO YOUR JOB,” the account tweeted.
Clearly, fans were not thrilled by the development and the potential mistake by the referees and were letting them have it online.
Tony Romo Believed Diggs Interception was Dropped
It wasn’t just Lions fans that were frustrated by the call. From the beginning, CBS commentator Tony Romo was saying on the telecast that he didn’t believe Diggs had a clean interception of the pass and a review should have at least happened.
As Paula Pasche tweeted, Romo was saying from the start that the play looked questionable and may not have been the pick everybody thought it was.
FWIW, CBS’s Tony Romo thought interception should have been reviewed.
“FWIW, CBS’s Tony Romo thought interception should have been reviewed,” Pasche tweeted.
The telecast was not backing off of showing the play again and again, and as Dannie Rogers of DetroitLions.com pointed out, the play was likely to be an overturn had it been reviewed.
CBS broadcast shows Diggs INT appeared to hit the ground on the way down and probably would have been overturned if it was replayed, which it should have been. #Lions
“CBS broadcast shows Diggs INT appeared to hit the ground on the way down and probably would have been overturned if it was replayed, which it should have been,” Rogers tweeted.
Add it up and it certainly seems as if this was yet another mistake for the stripes at the harm of Detroit.
Lions Burned During Wild Card With Calls
Lions fans have seen this movie before in Dallas, and in a 2014 playoff game, the referees intervened in a big way, helping push Dallas over the top in a close game.
With the Lions driving late in the game and clinging to a 20-17 lead, the team elected to keep the pressure on Dallas by throwing the ball on third-down. Detroit was moving the ball well, and seemed to draw a pass interference penalty on tight end Brandon Pettigrew when Anthony Hitchens knocked him to the ground.
The flag was initially thrown, but Pete Morelli’s crew ended up picking up the flag much to the disappointment and confusion of the Lions. Here’s a look at the play again:
Matthew Stafford, for his part, shows his disbelief on the field, routinely asking for explanations from the refereeing crew. When none are offered to his satisfaction, he is forced to laugh off the call. For the Lions, it was no laughing matter.
The team would go on to lose the game 24-20 in their closest brush with an ever-elusive playoff win since the early 1990s.
While this game wasn’t nearly of that magnitude, it was still very frustrating for fans.
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Lions Fans Livid After Refs Appear to Miss Questionable Interception