“Detroit Lions Got Screwed”: Rich Eisen Breaks Down NFL Officiating That Cost Dan Campbell & Co. the Win

Officiating has once again taken a controversial turn in the NFL games. Almost every weekend during this season, the officiating controversies have come to the surface. This Saturday, the Detroit Lions had to lose with one point to the Dallas Cowboys. The game against the Cowboys gained attention due to a contentious call that nullified a potential game-winning two-point conversion by offensive lineman Taylor Decker.

Fans of the Lions are upset with the officiating crew, Brad Allen, with some calling for his firing due to the penalty cost against Decker. Furthermore, many reporters and analysts have also expressed their dissatisfaction, saying they don’t want Allen to officiate any more games this season, including the playoffs. Another NFL analyst, Rich Eisen, joined the banter to deliver his thoughts on the matter.

Rich Eisen believes Brad Allen got confused!

The NFL analyst Rich Eisen talked about the Lions’ recent game and how they got potentially unfairly treated by the officials. During his “The Rich Eisen Show” episode, he mentioned how fans approached him saying they got ‘screwed’ and wanted him to discuss it on his show. Eisen expressed, “Let me just say this, first of all, the Detroit Lions got screwed. That happened. Brad Allen got confused. You could say the Lions confused the officials as much as they were trying to confuse the Cowboys.”

Eisen continued, “Should Brad Allen be confused? The answer to that is no, the head ref has got a white hat for a reason.” The journalist drew from his own experience, mentioning the initial confusion he felt during his early years covering the Super Bowl in which he felt Tom Brady was confusing everyone while throwing a pass, but in reality, it was his plan as the ball was going into the correct hand. Eisen believed officials, especially in the NFL, shouldn’t be confused even when players are trying to confuse them.

Rich Eisen further broke down the situation in the game where the Lions had players like Dan Skipper and Taylor Decker, reporting as eligible or ineligible. He pointed out that Skipper potentially reported as eligible, and Allen seemingly assumed he was the one reporting without verifying. This assumption led to a very costly confusion in the game. Eisen stressed that officials should not assume and must take the time to get the information straight.

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He criticized Allen for not handling the situation correctly and for allowing confusion to impact the game, leading Dan Campbell‘s Lions to lose 20-19. This incident has revived memories of a referee controversy in the Lions’ 2014 Wild Card entry, where the team was ahead 20-17 with about 8 minutes left in the game. Then QB Matthew Stafford threw a pass to Brandon Pettigrew on third-and-1, but unfortunately, the pass didn’t connect, and the play fell incomplete. Interestingly, it was against Dallas itself that the situation had occurred.

This event from the past added to the frustration and discussions surrounding the recent controversial calls in the Lions’ game. However, despite a disheartening defeat, the Lions will look to go ahead in the tournament taking notable lessons from the game.

Coach Dan Campbell is moving forward!

After the controversial loss to the Cowboys on Saturday, Lions coach Dan Campbell woke up feeling fine the next day with a “controlled fury.” Despite the setback, he said the team is determined and focused on the upcoming game against the Vikings. Campbell emphasized that they won’t dwell on the past, acknowledging they had opportunities to win but didn’t capitalize.

He said, “We had plays to make and we didn’t make them. It’s a tight game, a good opponent, playoff-type atmosphere, and you’ve got to make that extra play that we didn’t. So, we will use this as fuel. I’ve got pure octane right now. I woke up, I’m ready. So, we’re moving forward.”

His comments must be the right motivation for his team to move forward from the setback and get things right back on track.

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