Dallas was handed that game on a platter

[HaroldSeattle]

You are wrong Harold, the only way they both wouldn't have been called is if the FIRST was a 15 yard personal foul ( like the defender grabs the WR facemask and the WR pushes him off him as the ball is in the air ), then that trumps a PI. I say it was a Defensive PI because we have seen the Hawks get called for that with WAY less contact than we saw on this play a half dozen times this year.

Like I said, I could be wrong, but look at this facemask grab by the WR, Kind of hard to turn your head to look back at the ball when the WR has you by the facemask.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

The refs have been trash all season and this was just the cherry on top of the shit covered cake. Worst part is now all the smug douchebag Cowboys fans are out of the woodwork pretending like the call didn't matter. All we can really do at this point is hope for a Seahawks win this week and for justice to be served either next week in Green Bay or two weeks from now in Seattle.

 

[blstoker]

I just don't understand why Seahawks fans even care? Were we that desperate to play Detroit? Do people just hate the Cowboys? Are we so proud that we just didn't want to play the Panthers, because we want it tougher? Gotta be one of these, cause this board is more about Detroit and Dallas than it is about Seattle and Carolina....

As for being bailed out on their final drive, those illegal contact calls were legit. They may (or may not as the case may be) have missed the call for the PI, but those defensive holding calls were the correct calls.

 

[jdwills126]

I can't understand why everyone is screaming PI. I get it, he didn't have his head turned around. But I didn't think there was enough contact by the defensive player to warrant it.. Unless he was a Seahawk of course I didn't think there was enough for a flag initially, they just took too long to make the call.

I feel Detroit got hosed!

First they have called it all year long if the defensive player doesn't turn his head it's PI.

Second Pettigrew got held on the play.

Third if you call Pettigrew for hands to the face it's still offsetting and a do over on 3rd and 1.

Fourth why the hell wasn't dez Bryant called for unsportsmanlike conduct for running onto the field to argue a call?

The Lions would have eaten more clock had a shot at a FG or TD and the 10 yard punt isn't an issue.

The Lions played well enough to win and if they make the call and don't score it doesn't bother me. But having a procession of BS not called makes you think WTF!

 

[jctoo]

Like I said, I could be wrong, but look at this facemask grab by the WR, Kind of hard to turn your head to look back at the ball when the WR has you by the facemask.

WAIT ... I see it now ... it's Staffords fault for underthrowing the ball ... put a little more air under it and it's six points Detroit ... that or the flying field camera distracted Pettigrew ...

 

[JMR]

The more I see the replay, the more convinced I am it wasn't PI. In real time it looks bad because the receiver falls down with the defender draped on him but that's after the ball had come and gone, so you really can't include that in the call. It's all about the left hand of the defender on the receiver's shoulder, and I don't think it kept the receiver from making a play on the ball because it wasn't a very good throw and the receiver didn't make an effort to come back to make the catch. I actually wish the refs would put their heads together and pick up more flags that shouldn't have thrown.


However, I think it was a defensive hold before the pass was thrown, and I definitely think Bryant should have been flagged for charging out onto the field. In those respects the refs got it wrong, but I don't think it was PI.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

I just don't understand why Seahawks fans even care? Were we that desperate to play Detroit? Do people just hate the Cowboys? Are we so proud that we just didn't want to play the Panthers, because we want it tougher? Gotta be one of these, cause this board is more about Detroit and Dallas than it is about Seattle and Carolina....

As for being bailed out on their final drive, those illegal contact calls were legit. They may (or may not as the case may be) have missed the call for the PI, but those defensive holding calls were the correct calls.

I care because the integrity of the game took a step back on that PI/non-PI call. All I want is too watch a great match up between 2 solid teams and instead we ended up with a horrid ending. It wouldn't have been as bad if the crew got together and discussed the penalty before calling it, marking it off for the next play and moved the chains. Bad calls happen all the time, but this situation just looks sketchy.

 

[Screamin12th]

Like I said, I could be wrong, but look at this facemask grab by the WR, Kind of hard to turn your head to look back at the ball when the WR has you by the facemask.

Yep if that was the Seahawks that's called Defensive PI every day of the week.

Pettigrew should have stopped his route and let the defender run him over. He saw the ball, knew it would be short and all he had to do was stop and the defender would have flat out ran him over before the ball got there.

 

[Screamin12th]

Well here it is in all its BETTER ANGLE glory than Harold's angle and with Mike Pereira. Yes the Lions got robbed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdAKk42OzVw

Even you can't say it wasn't PI now Harold look at the Jersey PULL.

 

[Voltaire26]

A BIG THANK YOU to the Seahawks fans for your support. In 57 years, Detroit has won 1 playoff game, so losing a game this way hurts. We were the better team on the field that day and should have won. You guys know all about how much damage a ref can do. Super Bowl 40 in Detroit is all I have to say.

Good luck on your journey toward a second consecutive Super Bowl.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Well here it is in all its BETTER ANGLE glory than Harold's angle and with Mike Pereira. Yes the Lions got robbed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdAKk42OzVw

Even you can't say it wasn't PI now Harold look at the Jersey PULL.

Defensive holding at the very start of the play, agree. However that isn't what has everyone talking. Doesn't really matter to me any way. I was rooting for Cowboys to lose all the way, I just feel folks make to big a deal over calls by refs. Everyone is up in arms that PI wasn't called, yet there was a push off by the WR, facemask by the WR. It just wasn't evident from the angel behind the WR. Now should there have been PI called? Maybe, but you can see it really isn't a open and shut call.
Time to move on, lets beat those Panthers.

 

[JMR]

I see the hold but not the PI (receiver not going back to a low pass that hit the defender in the back and not enough contact by the defender's left hand to affect the play), and you could also justify a flag on Bryant. And the refs should have huddled to get it all right before making an announcement. Bad officiating, but not PI.

 

[MrS]

Its textbook pi, stop with the over analysis. If the defender blocks the receivers ability to get the ball and NEVER so much as attempts to turn around, its pi.

It also was not just this one play. The game winning drive was assisted by the refs allowing the cowboys OL to hold on basically every play. The cowboys vaunted OL was getting abused big time and probably should have had two more sacks on that last drive.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

A BIG THANK YOU to the Seahawks fans for your support. In 57 years, Detroit has won 1 playoff game, so losing a game this way hurts. We were the better team on the field that day and should have won. You guys know all about how much damage a ref can do. Super Bowl 40 in Detroit is all I have to say.

Good luck on your journey toward a second consecutive Super Bowl.

NP..... Detroit and there fan base deserved better than that ... That was the worst 8 final minutes of offciating I've seen in a long time ... It was clear something was up ...

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

I see the hold but not the PI (receiver not going back to a low pass that hit the defender in the back and not enough contact by the defender's left hand to affect the play), and you could also justify a flag on Bryant. And the refs should have huddled to get it all right before making an announcement. Bad officiating, but not PI.

If you don't turn around and make contact before the ball arrives it's a PI 100 percent of the time .... Clearly contact was made before the ball arrived .... It was a PI ... And holding ... And Dez did a great lobbying job without his helmet ... It was just unreal that they took the call back with no explanation ...Green Bay needs to demand a totally different crew ....

 

[flyerhawk]

The refs screwed up by throwing the flag and then picking it up without any explanation.

But the play itself was meh. They should have called Dez Bryant but they rarely do that.

Regardless the Lions have no one to blame but themselves. 11 yard punt. Allowed the Cowboys to march down the field.

I hate the Cowboys but the Lions were looking for reasons to lose.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

The refs screwed up by throwing the flag and then picking it up without any explanation.

But the play itself was meh. They should have called Dez Bryant but they rarely do that.

Regardless the Lions have no one to blame but themselves. 11 yard punt. Allowed the Cowboys to march down the field.

I hate the Cowboys but the Lions were looking for reasons to lose.

Lions made some mistakes sure.. But that last drive Dallas was handed 2 first downs when Detroit's D was stopping them .... Also on that PI call, replay the down if anything .... Offset the penalties ... The call was made, and never in my life watching football have I seen a call reversed so late with no explanation ... Shoulda been a holding call in the first place ...dude had a handful of jersey starting the play ....

 

[octagondd]

Well here it is in all its BETTER ANGLE glory than Harold's angle and with Mike Pereira. Yes the Lions got robbed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdAKk42OzVw

Even you can't say it wasn't PI now Harold look at the Jersey PULL.

How is this a better view? He cherry picked frames to make his case. No shots of the face mask by the receiver? There were multiple fouls by both players on the play. Jersey pull is legit, but if the ref missed it then the ref missed it. I would think the call should be offsetting penalties and replay the down, not pick up the flag with a no call.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

How is this a better view? He cherry picked frames to make his case. No shots of the face mask by the receiver? There were multiple fouls by both players on the play. Jersey pull is legit, but if the ref missed it then the ref missed it. I would think the call should be offsetting penalties and replay the down, not pick up the flag with a no call.

That's exactly right... If anything offset ...

 

[octagondd]

There are also weird rules about offsetting penalties which I don't fully understand, so maybe that was a factor in the decision. The main thing was the ref crew mishandled the call and should have met before making the call or provided an explanation when picking up the flag. If they thought it was incidental contact, then say so, if they thought it was allowable handfighting, then say so. Don't just pick it up and not say why after already announcing the call. It is possible that these all-star ref crews trust each other to make the right call too much instead of doing what they would do with their normal crew and get together to make sure they get it as right as they can tell from their view and live game speed.