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Detroit Lions 2014 season will be remembered for controversial no-call

By Nate Williams

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On Sunday, the Detroit Lions were eliminated from playoff contention by the Dallas Cowboys following a 24-20 loss in Arlington, Texas.

Detroit jumped out to a quick lead at AT&T Stadium against the Cowboys as it appeared that the team was finally firing on all cylinders. Dallas would battle back however, trimming the Lions lead to just three points with less than five minutes remaining.

Things would then take a strange turn on third and one when Matthew Stafford’s pass for Brandon Pettigrew fell incomplete at midfield. Referee Pete Morelli made the call on Anthony Hitchens however, he didn’t enforce it, signaling fourth down. P.I. was clearly the right call though, and Mike Pereira, the league’s former head of officiating and now a Fox Sports commentator even agreed.

"“It is clearly pass interference,” Pereira said. “I strongly believe that was not a good pickup of a flag.”"

That wasn’t the end of it, though. Dez Bryant was on the field, arguing the Cowboys’ case.

Social media immediately blew up following the no-call, as fans around the world began to voice their displeasure. Arguably the best player in Major League Baseball even took the time to chime in, stating when many Detroit Lions fans felt was happening.

The “hahaha” at the end of Trout’s tweet clearly shows the lack of seriousness by the Angels outfielder, though a lot of people took the accusation a bit more serious.

The Cowboys would of course go on to score the go-ahead touchdown and eventually win the game. They’ll head to Lambeau Field next week to battle the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

Shortly after the game, referee Pete Morelli attempted to offer up an explanation for the decision to overturn the initial ruling on the field. Morelli said the back judge threw a flag on Hitchens on a pass to Brandon Pettigrew, but the head linesman said there wasn’t enough contact and that Hitchens was face-guarding, which isn’t a penalty in the NFL. He also said that he had never seen a play like this before and “it would have probably been smoother if we got together.”

Below is the entire transcription of the interview, via The Detroit News writer Josh Katzenstein.

Morelli admitting that he should’ve waited to announce the pass interference call is unlikely to make Lions fans feel any better though.

Either way, the fact remains that the season is now over, and it time to move forward. Despite being eliminated in the first-round for the second time in four-years, there’s still plenty for the Detroit Lions to be proud of this year.

Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

In Jim Caldwell’s first year as the head coach in Detroit, the Lions were able to rack up an impressive 11 wins. Though the offense did struggle at times, there is obviously a lot to build on for next year. The first thing to do however will be a re-vamp of the offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, Detroit finished the season with the NFL’s No. 2 ranked defense, the highest they have finished in a very long time. First-year coordinator Teryl Austin devised one of the best systems of recent memory, but whether or not he will be back with the Lions next year remains to be seen. Austin is already rumored to be a top head coaching candidate for one of the many HC vacancies around the league, and deservingly so.

As bad as this loss hurts for Lions fans, the best thing to do is simply move on, and prepare for another exciting season in 2015.

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