I get it, Detroit Lions fans, you’re pissed off. You don’t think that should have been called a facemask and you don’t think the Green Bay Packers should have gotten that final play that won them the game over your Leos.
First, of all, take a look at the play in question again.
Yes, it’s most definitely iffy. Rodgers did some selling there, but at the same time, Devin Taylor did touch his facemask. It was more like a brush, but whatever.
There are three things that we have to say about that.
- If you watch the play live, it most certainly looks like a facemask. And the officials obviously had to make a judgment call watching it live and it’s hard to argue they could have seen it any other way.
- This is probably most important, so let’s cut to the chase. Make the play. You play the hand you’re dealt and you were maybe dealt a shitty one, but the fact of matter remains, the Lions should have been able to stop the Packers on the final play of the game from 60 yards out. I mean, rush more than three guys or, I don’t know, COVER SOMEONE IN THE END ZONE! You can shove your sour grapes up your ass because if your team wasn’t the picture of failure on that final play, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
- If anything, the facemask was a make-up call.
What am I talking about?
The blatant pass interference that wasn’t called the play before.
The announcers and Mike Carey were quick to paint this as, “Well, the defensive back was looking back for the ball, so it’s not a penalty.”
Think about that for a second.
That’s some of the dumbest analysis I’ve ever heard. Just because a DB is looking back for the ball, doesn’t mean he can plow right over the receiver and take him out of the play. And that’s exactly what happened here.
Jared Abbrederis was tracking the ball effectively and knew he had to pull up to make a play on it. The DB, because he was looking back, ran right through Abbrederis when this happened. Pass interference.
If, as the NFL Network morons suggested, all a defensive player has to do to be excused from pass interference is look back for the ball, then they could interfere on every play. Why not just shove the receiver to the ground? As long as you’re looking back for the ball, no flag!
So even if the facemask wasn’t a facemask, the Packers were owed a make-up call for this bullshit. In the end, the got exactly as many plays as they deserved.