The Detroit Lions lost a game to the Green Bay Packers, but it wasn’t due particularly to one play or one call. Even such, there was one play that stands out from the contest which shows that Detroit may have been robbed by the referees again.
With time ticking away in the fourth quarter, the Lions were driving and looking for a score to keep the pressure on the Packers. Matthew Stafford uncorked a deep ball down the sidelines to Marvin Jones. Jones appeared to make an amazing twisting catch on the sidelines, but the play was quickly ruled out of bounds. Darrell Bevell threw the challenge flag, but it didn’t matter. The play wasn’t overturned.
Jones looked to get two feet in and make an incredible catch, but the call went against Detroit and that left ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky steamed. As he said, the Lions were robbed on the play, which looked as if it were a clear catch that nobody can debate. He even went so far as to say replay might have to be abandoned if it leads to poor results such as that.
If replay tells you that @MarvinJonesJr didn’t catch that—get rid of replay!!!!!! @Lions robbed
The play was obviously close, but Orlovsky could be right. The fact that the catch was ruled incomplete on the field seemed to hurt, as there was nothing to help overturn the call obvious to the league. Even such, it sure looked like the Lions’ wideout made an amazing play on the ball and secured the catch.
In the end, the Lions still scored and would go on to lose, but even such, the close play shows just how unlucky the Lions seem to be when it comes to the referees.
Marvin Jones Non-Catch Video
Did Jones make the amazing catch along the sidelines? It was a bang-bang play, but it certainly looked good given the ball and the feet positioning. You be the judge as it relates to whether or not the referees got this call right or wrong in the end:
The catch didn’t play a huge role in the outcome, as the Lions would go on to score and still lose the game. For Jones, it was certainly disappointing he wasn’t able to get the incredible play as an official catch for his ledger moving forward.
Marvin Jones Disagreed With Non-Catch Call
Clearly, after the game, Jones was still in a mood as it related to the play that was taken away. As he explained, he believed he got a pair of feet down and make the catch, but that’s all he could say without getting in some type of trouble with the league.
Marvin Jones on that incompletion the Lions challenged: “I knew I had it. Obviously, when I caught the ball, my feet were down. … Both my feet were down when the ball was in my hands. I don’t know if I can say too much without getting in trouble.”
Often times, the league will punish those who speak out against the officiating or call out officials, so it was smart for Jones to make his point in a very careful way. Nobody could blame him for being upset though, as the referees looked to take away what was a pretty amazing catch for his stat line without any explanation as it relates to why.
In the end, nobody can give Jones a catch, but nobody can take away the amazing play he made to reel in the ball, either.
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Analyst: Lions ‘Robbed’ By Marvin Jones Non-Catch Call