Heard this before? Dan Campbell and Lions fans furious over bad penalty on Taylor Decker
At least Taylor Decker didn't get in trouble for not reporting as eligible this time.
Still, there was a little deja vu on Sunday in Detroit. The Detroit Lions lined up for a fourth-and-5 during the NFC wild-card playoff game when the Los Angeles Rams jumped offsides. But as the Lions and their fans celebrated, the officials got together and decided that Lions left tackle Decker moved first.
Replays showed that wasn't the case. Decker — who was in the center of a huge officiating controversy earlier this season, when refs didn't register him reporting as eligible before he caught a 2-point conversion pass — didn't even flinch before Rams linebacker Ernest Jones jumped into the neutral zone.
This was called a false start on the Lions but it should have been a neutral zone infraction. #LARvsDET pic.twitter.com/NawqfJL2ll
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) January 15, 2024
The Lions account on X, formerly Twitter, put up the video of the penalty in their passive-aggressive way of complaining.
Nice punt, Jack#LARvsDET |📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/aVrBWo46oP
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 15, 2024
In the end the Lions hung on to win 24-23 for their first playoff win in 32 years. Even so, Lions fans are probably sick of network officiating analysts telling them that their team just got hosed, but NBC's Terry McAulay let everyone know that he thought the false start call was a mistake.
"It sure looks to me, Cris [Collinsworth], like the defense jumped before the offense moved," McAulay said. "It should have been a neutral zone infraction."
Lions fans agreed, booing loudly and chanting their displeasure at the officials. There had to be some pent-up anger stemming back to the error against the Cowboys.
The Lions ended up punting after the penalty, which cost them a chance for at least a field goal before the end of the half. Lions head coach Dan Campbell yelled at the refs. Fans yelled at the refs. Decker seemed confused about what he did wrong. All in all, it was a familiar scene.