The refs found their way into the spotlight of the crucial “Thursday Night Football” showdown between the Cowboys and Lions — for all the wrong reasons.
Shawn Hochuli’s crew had a rough night during Detroit’s 44-30 win that puts Dallas’ season in jeopardy.
His group missed several critical calls, perhaps most notably a terrible offensive pass interference call in the fourth quarter on a third-and-3 from the Lions’ 11-yard line, as the Cowboys were driving with 3:50 remaining in the game.
Alex Anzalone appears to interfere with Jake Ferguson, but referee Jim Quirk didn’t see it that way. Prime Video
Jake Ferguson appeared to have clearly been interfered with on a throw toward the goal line, but referee Jim Quirk flagged the tight end for offensive pass interference, which was declined, setting up a Cowboys fourth-down field goal to narrow the score to 37-30.
That was far from the only blemish from the officiating crew, though.
On a third-and-2 with 8:28 remaining in the first half, the Lions thought they had a free play drawing the Cowboys offside but the referees swallowed their whistles, forcing the Lions to punt after Jared Goff aired it out to Jameson Williams while thinking he had a free shot at a big play.
“We see movement from Dallas,” color commentator Kirk Herbstreit said as boos rained down from Lions fans. “Detroit held steady. Yeah, no flag came down.”
Shawn Hochuil’s group had a terrible night on “Thursday Night Football.” Getty Images
During the first quarter, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was sacked by linebacker Jack Campbell at his own goal line for what appeared to be a safety.
After initially being called a safety, further review determined it was actually a sack at the one-yard line, with the ball ruled fully over the goal line, which certainly drew some question marks from fans.
Dak Prescott gets sacked by the Lions on what was first called a safety. Junfu Han-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
New York sports legendary radio host Mike Francesa saw enough Thursday night.
“Every week we see insanely bad call after bad call in NFL games. And it never gets better,” Francesa posted on X. “The NFL has to do better. No wonder so many fans scream the league is rigged.”
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The win for the Lions (8-5) was absolutely critical to their playoff hopes, as they sit two games behind the Packers and Bears in the loss column.
The Cowboys (6-6-1) now will likely need to win out their remaining four games to have a chance at postseason play.