Lions-Packers Game Officiating Draws Widespread Criticism

It’s rare to witness such poor officiating in any sporting event, especially in the NFL, as we did during the Lions-Packers game on Sunday.

Just how bad was it? Well, even Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, who are firmly entrenched in the NFL world, couldn’t hide their disbelief and frustration.

Brady, a future Hall of Famer, was particularly vocal. He put aside any former quarterback bias and called out the referees for what he deemed questionable roughing-the-passer penalties.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed an 18-yard pass to Sam LaPorta, and right after the throw, Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks made contact with Goff. There was no helmet-to-helmet collision, nor did Brooks use excessive force. Still, the referees flagged him for roughing the passer, which resulted in a penalty that pushed Detroit to the Green Bay 40-yard line.

Brady couldn’t contain his outrage, exclaiming, “No, my goodness, what is that? There’s no way.” He noted that Brooks was making a good play, emphasizing the quick nature of the tackle. In his view, it was simply not roughing the passer.

Brady further remarked, “You’re just ripping through the line of scrimmage to try to get the quarterback on the ground. I love Goff standing there in the pocket, but you just can’t tack on 15 yards.”

Dean Blandino, a former NFL officiating chief and now a rules analyst for Fox Sports, agreed with Brady’s assessment. He stated, “It wasn’t late. His head is up. That’s teach tape tackling. That’s not roughing the passer.”

Brady, although less intense, also expressed disapproval of a previous roughing call against Packers linebacker Brenton Cox, who appeared to attempt to mitigate his impact before making contact with Goff.

Reviewing the play, Brady commented, “Not much at all,” while Blandino supported him, saying, “I don’t like it as roughing.”

While this penalty didn’t directly lead to points, it altered the game dynamics, changing a potential fourth-down punting scenario into a first down, allowing the Lions to run eight additional plays before their drive ultimately stalled at the six-yard line of Green Bay.

This incident undeniably shifted game momentum and time management.

Brady voicing these criticisms carries significant weight. As arguably the best quarterback in NFL history—and certainly its top champion—along with being a leading analyst and a minority owner of the Raiders, his remarks resonate at the highest NFL levels.