NFL Admits That Huge Call Was Blown at the End of the Lions – Seahawks Game

The outcome of Monday night's game between the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks wasn't preferable for any of us who consider ourselves members of the #OnePride, and it turns out that it could and should have ended differently.

The NFL has admitted that officials completely blew a call at the end of the game that would have led to the Lions getting the ball back and the half-yard line, putting them in position to score and pull ahead of the Seahawks to win the game. 

When Calvin Johnson fumbled the ball just outside of the end zone, we all thought the game was over. And it was. But it shouldn't have been.

As it turns out, the ball should have gone back to the Lions at half the distance to the goal, and it should have been first down.

"But why?" You may ask. "The ball was fumbled." This is true, but a little-known NFL rule makes it so that we should have gotten the ball back anyway due to the fact that Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright followed the ball and batted it out of the end zone.

The NFL has a rule in regards to batting the ball in the end zone. Rule 12.1.8:

A player may not bat or punch: (a) a loose ball (in field of play) toward opponent's goal line; (b) a loose ball (that has touched the ground) in any direction, if it is in either end zone; (c) a backward pass in flight may not be batted forward by an offensive player.

Unfortunately for the Lions, and Lions fans, the officials in the game either weren't aware of or forgot about the rule.

NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino has admitted that the call was blown:

Unfortunately for all of us, the play isn't reviewable, nor can it be challenged.