The Detroit Lions effectively saw their already slim playoff hopes go up in flames in Week 16, which is crazy in its own right. However, somehow, their surprising fate was sealed by an even wackier sequence.
It was an emotional rollercoaster down the stretch of Detroit’s 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Lions were one yard away from prevailing on the final drive, and that doesn’t include the two would-be game-winnings touchdown nulilfied by penalty.
Frankly, words don’t do what transpired at the end of the inter-conference clash between Detroit and Pittsburgh justice. You just have to see physically see how everything went down to believe it. The Lions tasted victory — multiple times — only to have it taken away from them in dramatic fashion.
Nevertheless, Lions quarterback Jared Goff took the high road when discussing his perspective on the absurd finish against the Steelers postgame. He acknowledged the controversial play(s) in crunch time but also recognized that’s football.
Jared Goff kept it real after bizarre ending to Lions’ loss vs. Steelers
Goff addressed the media following Detroit’s harrowing defeat at the hands of the Steelers, and there was a sense of frustration in his voice. He was visibly deflated when a reporter asked about the officiating, specifically referencing the last possession. Yet, the four-time Pro Bowler knows it’s hard to complain when him and the Lions have benefitted from the refs in the past:
“Those guys have a hard job, and I don’t want to make any excuses or anything like that. We’ve been on the right side of a lot of these [debatable calls], and we’ve been on the wrong side of a lot of these.”
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Many are scrutinizing the offensive pass interference infraction on Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. But in Goff’s opinion, the one on third-round rookie Isaac TeSlaa roughly 20 seconds earlier was more “up for interpretation,” though that’s a moot point.
Either way, if the roles were reversed, Goff admittedly said he’d be singing the zebras’ praises. That’s how the cookie crumbles. The signal-caller was among the few bright spots versus Pittsburgh, but things just didn’t break his and the Lions’ way.