Lions got burned when refs called ‘easily the worst roughing the passer penalty’
There wasn’t much on the line in Sunday’s Lions-Vikings game in Detroit. Neither team was in playoff contention, but NFL Network host Rich Eisen saw something truly dreadful happen in t he contest.
It was a roughing-the-passer call on Detroit defensive back Tracy Walker, who blitzed when Minnesota faced a fourth-and-goal situation. Walker sacked Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins to force what appeared to be a turnover on downs.
Instead, the Vikings kept the ball. Here is the play, which Eisen called, “Easily the worst roughing the passer penalty that truly wasn’t.”
This is what Mike Golic Jr. tweeted about the penalty:
This was the official explanation for the penalty:
Things actually got worse for the Lions, who later thought they had scored a touchdown only to have the play overturned.
Officials apparently saw irrefutable proof that Marvin Jones Jr. let the ball touch the ground on this play:
Jones told reporters after the game: “It’s bad we grow accustomed to calls like that here.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Lions got burned when refs called ‘easily the worst roughing the passer penalty’."
