“My dog would’ve made a better call” – Fans blast NFL officials for another blown call during the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game

The Detroit Lions finish the regular season with a record of 12-5.

“My dog would’ve made a better call” – Fans blast NFL officials for another blown call during the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings (L - via NBC Sports) and Refs missed call (R - via screengrab/X)

The Detroit Lions have had an interesting week. After their controversial loss to the Dallas Cowboys in week 17, the Lions players were disappointed with the standard of officiating during the game.

Due to that defeat, the Lions slipped to 11-5. The conversation on the NFL referees carried on throughout the week and has been a hot topic this season.

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The Lions took on the Minnesota Vikings in their final game of the regular season. During the game’s first quarter, the Lions held a 7-0 lead when another controversial call by the refs, this time in favor of the Lions, became a major talking point.

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With just over 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the Lions had the ball and were driving down the field. During the drive, there was a point where the Vikings thought they had a stop, only for the refs to hand the Lions the first down.

However, when the call was made, the ball was short of the chains and should have been a turnover on downs. But the officials surprisingly gave the Lions the benefit of the doubt and allowed them to move the chains. The Detroit-based side ended up scoring a touchdown on that drive to extend their lead.

The Lions came into the season with playoff expectations after an impressive end to their 2022 campaign. They have made the postseason and will look to make a deep playoff run and hopefully get to the Super Bowl this year.

Fans react to the NFL officials giving the Lions a first down despite the ball being short of the chains

The NFL officials have been under a lot of scrutiny this season. They were under the spotlight after the Detroit Lions’ week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Lions vs. Vikings
Lions vs. Vikings (via BVM Sports)

The Cowboys won the game in controversial fashion after the Lions’ successful 2-point conversion late in the game was ruled out. It created a lot of buzz around the league and amongst the NFL fans.

The referees came under scrutiny once again during the Lions’ week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings. This time, the call helped the Lions as they were allowed to move the chains, despite the ball being short of the first down mark.

Fans on social media reacted to the incident and slammed the refs for their officiating. Here are some of the reactions.

The Lions ended up winning the game 30-20. They end their regular season with a record of 12-5 and will await their opponents for the first round of the playoffs. The Vikings, on the other hand, ended the season with a losing record of 7-10.

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