Getty Barry Sanders in a promo shoot.
The Detroit Lions watched their 2019 season turn for the worse after a loss to the Green Bay Packers in October, and Barry Sanders is still smarting from the defeat.
During the loss, the Lions were doomed by a pair of illegal contact penalties. Everyone was upset about the calls, from the guilty party Trey Flowers to pundits in the media like Skip Bayless. Most felt the Lions got screwed again by the officials.
Most of the outrage has subsided in the months since, but Sanders is one person who simply can’t let things go. Speaking during the lead into the Super Bowl, Sanders continued to unleash on the fact that the team was jobbed by the referees in the game.
Here’s a look at what Sanders had to say:
Barry Sanders with some strong words about the controversial penalties against Trey Flowers in Green Bay: “I feel like they stole that from us. I feel like they stole that from us. … I was shocked, man. I was shocked that that could happen. Twice.”
Stolen and shocked are great words to use for the game and its outcome, as the Packers would use the penalties to march down the field and forge their comeback to the dismay of the Lions and their fans. Most people feel as if the team fell apart after that point in time.
Seeing Sanders reference the game again with frustration is interesting. Classy to a fault, Sanders is a guy who rarely makes waves with his opinion on matters. It’s clear he is still quite frustrated with what went down.
Barry Sanders Unloaded on Packers-Lions Referees
The Lions were doomed by a phantom hands to the face call in the game on Monday Night Football against the Packers. Many fans found the call questionable and one noteworthy comment came from Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders, as he agreed with those who thought Clete Blakeman’s officiating crew made a poor call.
After the play, Sanders took to Twitter to share his frustration with the world, and as he said, he feels as if the Lions were robbed on the play. Here’s a look at what Sanders wrote in the moment:
I know that no one on the @lions can say it, so I will… that is a terrible missed call, on hands to the face and bad break for our D that is playing so hard. #replayhelpneeded
Trey Flowers was called for the penalty, and instead of a punt, the Packers were gifted a free first down. They ended up getting into the end zone a few plays later when Aaron Rodgers fired a score to the corner of the end zone to pull Green Bay within 22-20.
The play was a big one in the fourth quarter and it ended up helping the Packers cut into what was a sizable Detroit lead and flip momentum in a close game. Many folks agreed with Sanders that the call was a mistake, and even called out Blakeman’s crew for their mistakes.
Another similar play happened later on to Flowers which cost the Lions even more dearly in the end on a critical third down and Sanders was just as mad.
Safe to say even the legends didn’t like watching the league’s performance play out on the big stage in terms of the referees.
Lions 2019 Record After Packers Loss
Detroit came into the game at 2-1-1 with a chance to make a statement in the NFC North. They were off a bye week and before that, a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs which left them feeling as if they were close to breaking through with a big win. The loss crippled them and stunted their ability to move things in a positive direction. Afterward, the Lions went 1-11 down the stretch in order to stumble to a last place finish.
Obviously, the Lions dealt with injuries and other problems, but it’s safe to say any of the good feelings their season may have been producing early on hit the skids with a crushing defeat that was just like plenty of their other recent losses.
It’s also very safe to say Sanders knows where Detroit’s trouble started, and he has no problem speaking about his frustration about it.
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Barry Sanders Blasts Referees Over Lions Loss to Packers