A controversial no-call has garnered all the headlines from Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Game. But it wasn’t the only error the referees made.
The NFL issued an apology to the Detroit Lions on Tuesday, admitting that the referees missed an obvious holding call on the Dallas Cowboys during a crucial fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter, ESPN reported. The league noted that Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was blatantly held on the play, a 21-yard pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten on fourth-and-6.
The Cowboys went on to score later in the drive to take a 24-20 lead and win by that margin. Had the holding on Suh been called, it would have resulted in fourth-and-16 for Dallas and likely would have forced the team to punt while trailing 20-17.
The league’s apology likely won’t do much to console the Lions, who already were incensed over a bizarre no-call earlier in the game. Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens was called for pass interference on Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew on third down, but the referees mysteriously picked up the flag. Detroit punted on the next play, and Dallas scored the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing drive.
The Cowboys will face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round, while the Lions ended their season on a controversial sour note.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
