Losing in controversial fashion at AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys was all too familiar to a lot of Detroit Lions fans. As it turns out, Los Angeles Rams and former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford shared in that pain, according to his wife.
On the latest episode of The Morning After, Stafford’s wife, Kelly, shared the signal caller’s reaction to the Lions losing to the Cowboys, 20-19, after a controversial penalty wiped out Detroit’s 2-point conversion.
“Holy s***. It happened again,” Stafford said, according to Kelly.
The first controversy the Lions experienced at AT&T Stadium came during the 2014-15 playoffs. On a fourth-quarter fourth-down play for the Lions, officials threw a flag on an incomplete Stafford pass. However, officials elected not to call a penalty, which led to a Detroit turnover on downs.
At the time of the play, the Lions led 20-17 with a little more than 8 minutes remaining in regulation. But the Cowboys came back to win, 24-20.
In Week 17 this season, the Lions appeared to take the lead with a 2-point conversion with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter. But officials overturned a successful 2-point try for Detroit because left tackle Taylor Decker was deemed an ineligible receiver.
Kelly Stafford Rips NFL for Lions-Cowboys Officiating
Stafford’s five words was the extent of his reaction, according to his wife. But Kelly had a much more detailed response, as she heavily criticized NFL officiating on her podcast.
“Can I tell you the biggest scam of 2023? That Lions game. They f***** y’all.”
Kelly also threw fuel on the narrative that the league is against the Lions winning significant NFL games.
“It doesn’t matter if the game is in Dallas. There’s always rules made up when something happens with the Lions,” she said. “Whether this is an NFL script or not where they want the Rams to play the Lions, and they’re working to make that happen.
“I know people laugh at the idea of a script, but I’m kind of a believe in the script.”
If the playoffs started this week, Stafford and the Rams would visit the Lions for the NFC Wild Card round. That is obviously an intriguing matchup because of the Stafford-Jared Goff trade from three years ago.
If the Lions had won in Week 17, they would have been the No. 2 seed entering Week 18 with a chance to still earn a first-round bye. A matchup with the Rams in the first-round would have been much less likely.
But because of the loss in Dallas, the NFL will see a Rams-Lions playoff matchup as long as the Cowboys and Rams win in Week 18.
Lions’ Dan Campbell Pushes Back on NFL ‘Script’ Narrative
Campbell didn’t specifically receive a question about the comments from Kelly’s podcast. But he did strongly speak out against the notion that the Lions were victims of a conspiracy in Dallas.
“I get it, but don’t do that. Don’t buy into that,” Campbell told reporters on January 1. “Don’t live in that world, man. It will just pull you down.”
Campbell added that the controversial penalty is “a blessing.” The head coach explained the team still has control of its own destiny and can use the controversy as fuel for the postseason.
Lions Fans Buy ‘Decker Reported’ Billboards
Whether they believe in conspiracies or not, Lions fans have chosen a unique way to express their displeasure with the NFL’s officiating from Week 17.
“Meanwhile, billboards spotted around Detroit,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote as a caption to a picture on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, billboards spotted around Detroit … https://t.co/sHMqmChRP4 pic.twitter.com/6ix0xpAn26
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 3, 2024
Anger over the controversial penalty will likely remain unless the Lions are able to advance past the Cowboys in the postseason.
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