Perhaps the craziest ending to a decidedly crazy weekend of NFL action should’ve gone the other way, at least according to one ESPN analyst.
Appearing on Monday morning’s edition of Get Up, Rex Ryan took issue with how the officials handled what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown call on one of the final plays of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Detroit Lions game. The play in question was a standard “rub” play that teams like to run in goal-line situations. Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was found wide open in the end zone to put his team up 30-29 with only a handful of seconds remaining on the clock. However, the touchdown was called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty.
Ryan called the flag “dead-ass wrong.” Ironically, the call led to an even more bizarre ending in which the Lions were called for another offensive pass interference on a would-be touchdown. On that play, St. Brown caught the ball just short of the goal line and proceeded to toss a lateral to quarterback Jared Goff, who ran it in for a touchdown. That play was also negated when officials caught St. Brown shoving a Steelers defender towards the top of his route.
But Ryan thought that play should’ve never happened in the first place.
“They got the last one right, but they certainly got the previous one dead-ass wrong,” the former New York Jets head coach said. “The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he’s the guy that initiated the contact right here on [Lions tight end Isaac] TeSlaa. He initiated the contact. It’s an awful call, and unfortunately, it cost the Lions a win here and probably a playoff spot. So yeah, this is atrocious here.
“Now, on the last one … clearly it was a PI by Amon-Ra St. Brown. Yes, he goes in, and as soon as he extends with both hands, it’s a penalty. …But, I mean, there’s no two ways about it. The first one to St. Brown was a touchdown. Absolute touchdown.”
The irony that Ryan was wearing a Detroit Lions Grinch sweater while saying this was not lost on the viewer. But Sunday’s game had about as controversial an ending as any. And Ryan’s approval rating is certainly going up in Detroit after this segment.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.