Detroit Lions: Bad calls in Week 2, Another loss in Week 3

The Detroit Lions are not making the playoffs this year. But this can be a season of improvement for a team desperately in need of change.

While this week’s 30-27 loss by the Detroit Lions to the San Francisco 49ers was expected, it was fun to watch the team be competitive. Most people point to the late comeback as “stat padding,” but the reality is the Niners were in real jeopardy of losing the game.

What comes next for this Lions squad is trying to build on a better Week 2 performance. The face-off with the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football at Ford Field (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) will probably result in an ugly loss. But the ugliness this past Sunday came from the officials.

A BAD CALL

Week 2 ended with controversy for the Detroit Lions. Specifically, the defensive holding call against safety Quandre Diggs that nullified a huge interception by rookie defensive back Tracy Walker.

And it was a nice interception. Walker made a great play on the ball, and he secured a really nice turnover for the team at the perfect moment in the game. That moment is exactly why people love football. The game can be so unpredictable.

The call against Diggs was not a fair call. By the book or the letter of the law, the referee can absolutely call a penalty. But, in this instance, the officials should have swallowed their whistle.

Let’s begin with Diggs. To be honest, in that situation, Diggs needs to make contact with whomever he is lined up against. That is how football is played, and he can’t simply just let the guy run free, especially on such a big third down.

The situation calls for contact. This is a contact sport. Despite the rule changes slowly taking us towards “sarcastaball,” where players give hugs and compliments instead of actually tackling. “Sarcastaball” is the brainchild of the animated sitcom “South Park.” This particular episode is definitely worth a watch from Season 16 (broadcast in 2012).