The referees at the Buffalo Bills-Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving may have missed a face mask penalty.
The Detroit Lions haven’t won Thanksgiving since they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. They were so close to forcing overtime against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, but they watched as kicker Tyler Bass snuck in a 45-yard field goal to give them the final 28-25 win.
But what if the kick never happened? Because there was a controversial call missed on this drive.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen drove the team down on their final drive after a beautiful 36-yard pass to Stefon Diggs. From there, Allen used his legs to creep up the field to put them within goal range. However, on Allen’s nine-yard gain, you can see offensive tackle Spencer Brown grab Mike Hughes’ face mask.
You can watch the play on this link.
Did the referees charge the Lions with a missed face mask penalty?
This is the official explanation regarding the face mask penalty, in NFL football operations:
No player may grasp, control, twist, rotate, push, or pull the opponent’s face mask in any direction.
Note: If a player grabs an opponent’s face mask, they must immediately release it. If he didn’t release it immediately and dominate his opponent, it was a foul.
If the referees call for a punt, it will result in a Bills loss of 15 yards. Hypothetically, that would have made the field goal attempt a dress longer. Consider how the winner of the game squeaks inside the left upright.
The Lions held a 22-19 lead in the game after a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to wide receiver DJ Chark. That lead disappeared after a five-yard touchdown reception by Stefon Diggs, giving Buffalo a 25-22 edge. On the ensuing drive, the Lions were able to tie things up after a 51-yard field goal by Michael Badgley.
Unfortunately for the Lions, leaving 23 seconds on the clock for the Bills was too much.
The Lions will be looking to get back into the winning column in Week 13, when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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