The Lions’ defense did its job Sunday night. It even stopped the so-called unstoppable “Tush Push.”
But in the end, it was a questionable defensive pass-interference call that sealed the defending Super Bowl-champion Eagles’ 16-9 victory over the Lions in a mammoth NFC showdown in Philadelphia.
On third-and-8 with 1 minute, 51 seconds left from the Philadelphia 37, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ pass to receiver A.J. Brown was high and incomplete, seemingly giving the Lions one last shot to get the offense going and tie the game. But then came the flag, for a defensive P.I. and an Eagles’ first down, and that was that. And that, according to NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth, was not a good call.
“Oh, come on. Come on! That is terrible,” Collinsworth said as NBC went to a replay of the defense by Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. “That is an absolutely terrible call, and it’s going to decide this football game.
“If anything, it’s an offensive push. … You want to call a foul, it’s an offensive foul. Wow.”
In fact, that’s what Ya-Sin seemed to think the flag was going to be, on Brown. He was shocked to see the referee pointing toward the Lions, instead.
Brown and Ya-Sin exchanged some hand pushing, and the refs’ decided Ya-Sin was the aggressor.
“It was absolutely ridiculous,” NBC analyst Rodney Harrison said on the postgame show. “This is perfect coverage by the young kid. He’s right there. He’s looking for the ball.
“It’s just not pass interference.”
The Eagles (8-2), with the fresh set of downs, then plowed for one more first down and ran out the clock for the victory, putting the Lions (6-4) way behind the 8-ball when it comes to getting the top seed in the NFC.
Had the Lions’ offense gotten one more shot, of course, there was no guarantee quarterback Jared Goff would’ve led them to a tying score, given he was under duress all night long and finished 14-for-37 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
The Lions’ nine points were their fewest since a 38-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
