Rex Ryan is not one to hold back with his comments on referees, and he didn't stop when asked about the Detroit Lions' late-game refereeing gripes against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
Ryan told his fellow co-hosts on Monday morning's episode of "Get Up" that the referees might've been right to call an offensive pass interference against Amon-Ra St. Brown which cost the Lions a touchdown in the waning moments of regulation, but they were "deadass wrong" about calling an OPI on Isaac TeSlaa a few plays prior.
"They got the last one right, but they certainly got the previous one deadass wrong. The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he's the guy that initiated the contact right here on TeSlaa. He initiated the contact. This is an awful call. And unfortunately, it cost the Lions a win here, and probably a playoff spot."
"They got the last one right, but they certainly got the previous one dead ass wrong."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 22, 2025
—Rex Ryan on the officials' calls at the end of Steelers-Lions pic.twitter.com/0IZnfznyig
Rex Ryan goes scorched Earth on behalf of Lions in latest appearance
Ryan went on to describe that TeSlaa penalty as "atrocious," all while rocking a Lions Christmas sweater with a big Grinch on it. Ryan was prepared to go all-in for Detroit this morning, and understandably so. The TeSlaa call has gotten buried amongst the chaos that was the ending to this contest, which was the right call.
TeSlaa had a great game for Detroit with one touchdown reception and another nearly game-winning haul on another acrobatic catch attempt from him. This penalty, in all honesty, was extremely close to call. It cost the Lions a touchdown, as well, and one that would've landed them a huge home win before taking on the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas day on the road.
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Ryan might just be courting the Lions for a future job, as he does, but he's certainly not wrong to feel like this call cost the Lions a postseason spot. Referees have been a thorn in Lions fans' sides for weeks now, and this game did not help at all.
The end-of-game explanation from lead referee Carl Cheffers just drew even more ire from fans who first heard that the touchdown from Jared Goff did happen, but that it was effectively erased by St. Brown's OPI. It was a wild way to hear that, basically, Detroit lost despite some major heroics from Jared Goff down the stretch.