Controversial OPI Calls Haunt Lions in Wild Loss to Steelers
In one of the most dramatic finishes of the NFL weekend, the Detroit Lions saw not one, but two potential touchdowns wiped off the board due to offensive pass interference calls in their 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And while the Steelers walked off with the win, the Lions were left questioning the stripes.
The most controversial of the two flags came with just 22 seconds left on the clock. Lions rookie wideout Isaac TeSlaa was called for offensive pass interference on what looked like a go-ahead touchdown catch by Amon-Ra St.
Brown. The play, which had Ford Field erupting in celebration, was quickly dialed back after the official ruled that TeSlaa had set an illegal pick on a defender, creating space for St.
Brown to make the grab.
But not everyone saw it that way.
Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan didn’t hold back on ESPN’s Get Up, calling the first OPI call “dead-ass wrong.”
“The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he’s the one that initiated the contact with TeSlaa,” Ryan said.
“This is an awful call. And unfortunately, it cost the Lions a win-and probably a playoff spot.
It’s atrocious.”
Ryan did agree with the second OPI call that came earlier, but the damage had already been done.
Referee Carl Cheffers explained the controversial decision in a postgame pool report, stating, “The reporting official on that play told me that the offending player [TeSlaa] picked one of the defenders, creating an opportunity for the offensive player [St. Brown] to make the catch.”
That explanation didn’t sit well with Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who was visibly frustrated after the game.
“The one where [St. Brown] caught it and we thought was a touchdown-in my opinion, that’s a bad call,” Goff said.
And when you go back and watch the tape, it’s easy to see where the Lions’ frustration is coming from. TeSlaa appears to be redirected into the defender more than he initiates contact. It’s the kind of play that, nine times out of ten, doesn’t draw a flag-especially in a moment that big, with the game and potentially the season hanging in the balance.
Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who’s been one of Detroit’s emotional leaders all season, didn’t mince words either.
“There’s two ways you can look at this,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously, we want to be better in the run game… that sucked.
But the intervention I saw from those refs late in that game? I’ve never seen two offensive PIs to lose a game like that.”
And that’s really the heart of it. The Lions didn’t play a perfect game-far from it.
They struggled to contain the Steelers’ ground attack and had their own miscues. But in a league where games are so often decided by inches and moments, having back-to-back scoring plays nullified by penalties-especially ones that are up for debate-is a gut punch.
Detroit now finds itself on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, with only a few weeks left to climb back into contention. And while they’ll say all the right things about controlling what they can control, this one’s going to sting for a while.
Because whether you agree with the calls or not, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the Lions didn’t just lose to the Steelers-they lost to the flags.