Getty Trey Flowers looks on with his Lions defense,
Trey Flowers was the victim of not one but two questionable calls as the Detroit Lions cracked down the stretch, and even the defensive end was incredulous as to why the calls were made in the end.
After the game, still in uniform and still in disbelief and visibly crushed, Flowers attempted to explain why he thought the calls were made in the end. As Flowers said, it simply was an interpretation that was made on the field by the referees in the moment, and not one he agreed with.
Here’s a look at his response as told to WXYZ’s Brad Galli:
Here’s Trey Flowers talking postgame about the two penalties against him in the Lions loss:
“I was working a move and they saw something different than what actually happened. They called what they thought they saw,” Flowers said of the plays quietly.
On the second call, Flowers admitted he tried to change what he was doing to appease the officials, but it didn’t work.
“I actually changed the position of my hand, I was doing it all game. I didn’t know it was a flag to the chest. I didn’t think hands to the chest was a penalty. I thought hands to the face was a penalty. It’s part of a move I do.”
As for what’s next and where his mind is at ahead of the next game, Flowers was succinct. He wants to get back on the field immediately with his team.
“Work, work, work, work. I’m ready to get back to work,” he said.
Tough not to feel for a guy who tried hard to make multiple plays in crunch time and came up just short thanks to judgement calls. The Lions paid Flowers a ton of money to get after the quarterback and impact the game, and he did multiple times. That’s true even if the referees didn’t think so.
Devon Kennard Impressed
Flowers is a model player for the Lions and a key leader on the defense and in the locker room. As linebacker Devon Kennard said, Flowers responding how only he can makes him motivated to get back on the field with his defensive teammate and play the next game with him.
Along with Flowers up front, Kennard is one of the running mates on the defensive line that gets after the quarterback. For Kennard to jump behind Flowers is neat to see this early in their tenure in Detroit together and a sign the player is already a major team leader.
Lions Vow to Pick Up Flowers
It’s possible the calls against Flowers could have a rallying effect for the 2019 Lions. In the aftermath, the Lions defenders one by one stepped up and said they stood behind Flowers after what happened. Darius Slay and Quandre Diggs were two of the other Lions who stepped up and gave Flowers some love on Twitter, saying they were with their teammate in a very tough moment on the field.
In every loss is a silver lining. This defeat could bring the Lions closer than ever and help galvanize this team in a way few people considered possible. It truly could be a blessing in disguise if the Lions can turn things around.
READ NEXT: Lions Takeaways From Packers Loss