Heading into Week 18, the Detroit Lions still had a chance to make the 2022 NFL Playoffs, but they were going to need a little help along the way. In order to get in, two things needed to happen. First, the Seattle Seahawks had to lose to the Los Angeles Rams at 4:15 p.m. ET, and second, the Lions had to defeat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, for the Lions, the NFL officials blew multiple calls that ended up helping the Seahawks to beat the Rams, eliminating the Detroit Lions from playoff contention.
NFL officiating under fire after screwing Detroit Lions
Now, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL officiating is under scrutiny after they messed up multiple calls in the Seahawks vs. Rams game.
Schefter is reporting that multiple NFL head coaches and executives have come out and told him that the NFL needs to “reevaluate how it chooses and trains its officiating staff for future seasons.”
He added that one source described the Seahawks vs. Rams “as the worst officiated game of the year.”
From ESPN:
Another team executive not associated with either the Rams or Lions told ESPN there is “a real groundswell of unhappiness with officiating that is much deeper than I’ve seen and frankly, I haven’t seen in this league in years.”
Multiple sources told ESPN that the Rams were upset by the officiating, the Lions were bothered by it and the competition committee was frustrated by it. The calls benefited the Seahawks, hurt the Rams and ultimately impacted the Lions, who needed Seattle to lose in order to have a chance to claim the NFC’s final wild-card spot.
Of course, had the Rams beat the Seahawks, the Detroit Lions would be playing in the playoffs today as they did end up beating the Packers on Sunday Night Football.
One Response
The NFL is a business. They don’t leave things to chance. The refs are doing exactly what they are paid to do.