A Detroit Lions timeout may have done more than break up a Green Bay drive on October 25 at Ford Field - it may have kept Chesterfield Township homeowner Michael Pingel alive.
Pingel was sitting on his couch Sunday evening when the Lions’ decision to stop play lined up with a split-second change in his own routine. He got up and headed toward the kitchen. Moments later, a black Kia smashed through his living room wall and came to rest just feet from where he had been sitting.
The car crash left the home with significant damage, but Pingel escaped injury and possibly something far worse. He later told WDIV that the timing felt impossible.
“It was the end of the game, and they were marching down for the field goal,” Pinkel recalled. “And they called time out, I got up from the couch and started walking into the kitchen - and a car came through.”
The Lions went on to beat the Packers 20-17 on a walk-off 22-yard field goal by Jake Bates.
Pingel said the impact and the glare that followed left him disoriented. He thought “the house was on fire or something” because the room was suddenly filled with orange light.
“But it was the running lights from the car,” he explained.
He added, “I’m lucky I still wasn’t on the couch,”
After the crash, four people reportedly got out of the car and said someone had cut them off. One person was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Pingel walked away unharmed, but his night still ended with another worry: he’s asking for help finding his cat, who went missing in the chaos.
In Other News...
Josh Jacobs Had To Address A Packers Celebration Controversy
Josh Jacobs one-yard touchdown run was supposed to be just another hard-earned scoring play, but the celebration afterward quickly became the bigger conversation. When he put his hands behind his back, the gesture drew attention because of his past legal issues tied to a domestic dispute, and it was enough to prompt questions about whether there was any message behind it.
Jacobs pushed back on that reading, saying there was no disrespect intended and framing the moment as part of a planned celebration. The episode came shortly after his return to action from the commissioners exempt list, a stretch that put his off-field situation back under a bright spotlight even as he has tried to focus on football, show remorse and move forward with the Packers. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Win Couldnt Hide A Roster Problem Green Bay Must Fix
The Packers got the result they needed, but the win did little to disguise a rushing attack that has been stuck near the bottom of the league through seven games. Green Bays ground game has struggled to find any rhythm, and the problems have only been made worse by injuries up front, where the offensive line has been shuffling through personnel issues and losing stability at center.
Sean Rhyans absence looms over the discussion even more now, because the Packers are trying to keep the offense balanced without one of the key pieces that helps hold the line together. If Green Bay decides the answer has to come from outside the building, the kind of moves being floated would point to a team that knows it needs help in a hurry, even if any real solution would take some doing. [Read more 🡒]
Xavier McKinneys Stand After The Lions Loss Came At A Price
Xavier McKinneys latest night at Lambeau Field was a reminder that the Packers defense can still swing a game, even as the safety continues to carry some baggage from the week before. Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19 to move to 5-3, and McKinney was right in the middle of it with three sacks and a pass defended, giving the Packers the kind of disruptive performance they needed after a tense stretch.
McKinney also revealed there was a cost attached to his postgame frustration after the loss to Detroit, when he publicly took aim at the officiating. The league response landed in the form of a fine, and McKinney made clear he was prepared for the consequences when speaking up for his team, turning his stance into another subplot for a Packers defense that has already had plenty to deal with this season. [Read more 🡒]