It might be the postseason, but the shaky officiating isn’t any different with the Detroit Lions. An obvious officiating gaffe late in the first half of Detroit’s playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams cost the Lions a potential scoring drive.
Lions left tackle Taylor Decker was called for a false start on a penalty where he did not move until Rams EDGE Ernest Jones jumped into the neutral zone. Decker reached out to draw the penalty on Jones, but the officials wrongly flagged him instead. It changed what would have been a first down in Rams territory into a punt.
The social media world did not take kindly to the obvious blown call. Lions fans are already acutely sensitive to these, but for a lot of America, this was their first taste of the refs screwing the Lions over.
Lions are flagged for a false start on fourth-and-5 after it was pretty clear the Rams jumped first. Crowd is incensed and rightfully so.
Would have kept a possible TD drive alive before halftime.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) January 15, 2024
Even Rams media knows...
wow, rams got away with one there. Ernest Jones jumped across. Lions OL didn't move.
Massive penalty on Detroit
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) January 15, 2024
Calling this a false start on the Lions is just a flat out miss pic.twitter.com/GINAOp0SY9
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) January 15, 2024
Being able to properly call an offsides vs. a false start should not be too much to ask.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 15, 2024
Not even borderline. It’s a clear neutral zone infraction. https://t.co/z8BrIRSEA3
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) January 15, 2024
#Lions in another officiating controversy: Everyone in the stadium realizes this should be a neutral-zone penalty. #Lions get called for a false start instead.
And it's again with Taylor Decker.
Not great. pic.twitter.com/Xuz0dhEKF3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 15, 2024
Instead of SOL, it's SOR: Same old refs
Jesus, that's a brutal call to fuck up on national TV in a primetime playoff game. The booth, fans, everyone watching, saw it was a Rams offsides.
— Bill Shea (@Bill_Shea19) January 15, 2024
The Lions got called for a false start on this play 👀pic.twitter.com/xAVUBhyWsz
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 15, 2024
