Lions Twitter argues with officiating analyst over controversial ending
Thanks to a controversial ruling in the final seconds, the Detroit Lions fell 30-26 at home to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The NFC North club thought they had won the contest thanks to a Golden Tate touchdown with eight seconds to play, but it was overturned upon review. NFL rules state that any review comes with a 10-second runoff of the clock, meaning the Lions were denied the chance to run a 4th-and-goal play from the half-yard line.
FOX officiating analyst Dean Blandino, who was formerly the NFL's head of officials, clarified the rule on Twitter shortly after the call was made.
This carries a 10-sec runoff. Had the call on the field been correct initially, the clock would have run out. That's the spirit of the rule.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) September 24, 2017
The Lions official Twitter account took issue with the 10-second runoff, citing an example from last season when the club covered 27 yards in 7 seconds to run two plays against the Minnesota Vikings.
#OnePride pic.twitter.com/RLos2G7AzA
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 24, 2017
It's certainly a tricky situation for the rules committee, as a clock stoppage would have given the Lions plenty of time to line up from the half-yard line with eight seconds to play. The rule may need tweaking, but by the letter of the law, the Falcons were rightly awarded the win.
Just don't tell the Lions Twitter account that.