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Lions fans furious after controversial false start call vs. Rams

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•01/14/24
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(© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK)

The first round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs are in full swing and with that, always comes more scrutiny for officiating crews across the league. Late in the first half, the Detroit home crowd was furious with a call officials made against Taylor Decker. Decker was called for a false start, when many fans thought it should have been called offsides against Ernest Jones.

The rowdy Lions home crowd let the officials know how furious they were, by chanting, “Ref you suck!”

The Lions got an excellent performance from their quarterback Jared Goff. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards, while tossing in one touchdown and no interceptions. Detroit managed to pull out the emotional win, 24-23, in one of the best Wild Card games of this year. Taylor Decker is the longest tenured member of the Lions and he was visibly emotional, as tears were flowing from his face.

It’s understandable as Detroit’s last playoff win came in 1992, more than 30 years ago. Many fans in the stands were visibly emotional, with tears flowing. It was a massive win for the Lions franchise and the city of Detroit.

One of the game-deciding plays came from Lions kicker Michael Badgley, who drilled a 54-yarder with 8:41 left in the third quarter. The Rams ended up mounting a comeback, drilling two field goals of their own to cut the Detroit lead to one. But the Lions would hold on in the final minutes to prevail.

The Rams got an amazing performance from rookie receiver Puka Nacua, who tormented opposing corners all season long. Nacua put together one of the best rookie campaigns by any receiver in league history and the Lions corners could simply find no answer for him on Sunday night. He hauled in nine catches for 181 yards and a touchdown. He not only had the most receptions in a season by a rookie, but also had the most receiving yards, and the most receiving yards in a playoff game. It was a fitting finish to a simply spectacular rookie season for the Utah native.

Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery both had touchdowns. Receiver Amon Ra St. Brown had a great game, hauling in seven catches for 110 receiving yards. He’s been one of the most dominant receivers in the league and a critical piece to carrying the Lions offensive attack for the past two years.

With the win, the Lions advance to the NFC Divisional Round, where they’ll face the winner of the Buccaneers-Eagles game on Monday night. The Lions will play on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3:00 PM EST. The game will be televised on NBC.