Sometimes, fanbases can delude themselves into thinking officiating crews have a vendetta against them. Some 50/50 calls go against them. One or two questionable flags might derail a drive.
Most of the time, this is a coping form of homerism. For the Detroit Lions, however, it might actually be true.
The officials’ unofficial vendetta against the NFC North champions continued Sunday night in a Wild Card matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Facing fourth-and-five at the Rams’ 41-yard line, quarterback Jared Goff took his spot under center. He reeled off a hard count as his offensive line remained statue still. And then LA linebacker Ernest Jones IV jumped into the neutral zone for what should have been a five-yard encroachment penalty and a free first down.
It was not. The officiating crew ruled it a false start on Taylor Decker, sending Detroit backward and necessitating a punt. It drew a chorus of chants from the Ford Field crowd, many of which we cannot print here.
The Lions’ Twitter team knew this was complete and utter [expletive] against them in a game that promised to be a shootout. That crew also knew it couldn’t purposefully criticize a bad call or tweet out a “refs you suck” chant on its own.
So instead, that crew put out a minute-plus long video of a punt… and the play that led up to it.
Nice punt, Jack#LARvsDET |📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/aVrBWo46oP
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 15, 2024
Beautiful. A post that combines the simplicity of “I can’t say that or I’ll get fined” with “y’all saw this nonsense, right?” Needless to say, Detroit’s social squad wasn’t the only one to take issue with the terrible call.
Dan Campbell is going to bite a referee’s kneecap off if this keeps happening.
— Cory Woodroof (@CoryWoodroof47) January 15, 2024
*Lions trying to win a football game fair and square*
NFL refs: pic.twitter.com/nujdvpFE3O
— JM Football (@JomboyMediaFB) January 15, 2024
Are referees the only Americans left who don't like Dan Campbell? pic.twitter.com/UVJIOyJMVU
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 15, 2024
It looks worse after every rewatch. https://t.co/qdb0ZvZs8A
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) January 15, 2024
It looked like the first *two* movements were by the Rams there?
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 15, 2024
the Lions got called for a false start here. on 4th-and-5. and then the "refs you suck" chants began pic.twitter.com/345f7zmzDV
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 15, 2024
I’m convinced NFL officials want to see if Dan Campbell will physically assault them
— Zachary Smith (@ZacharySmithPGH) January 15, 2024
Taylor Decker is cursed
— TommyFreezePops (@yaboiTCfresh) January 15, 2024
Detroit getting griefed again
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) January 15, 2024
How on earth is that a false start!??
— Patrick Carey (@PatCareySports) January 15, 2024
That was an awful call. That should not have been a false start penalty on the Lions.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) 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
"Refs you suck!" chants have broken out at Ford Field 🗣️pic.twitter.com/9aM73Xea7m
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) January 15, 2024
These refs pic.twitter.com/yrMH7txflv
— Gump Cathcart (@bubbagumpino) January 15, 2024
Every team’s fanbase complains about the refs and it’s always BS… except for the Lions, who are legit cursed with refs making awful calls against them
— Space Coyote (@SpaceCoyoteBDS) January 15, 2024
