By Adeniyi Precious 
The Detroit Lions’ playoff hopes were dashed after a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round. Now, an admission from the NFL has only added to the frustration for Lions fans. Turns out, a missed penalty might have been a game-changer that led to their loss.
The controversial moment came in the second quarter, with just over five minutes left in the half. Lions QB Jared Goff threw an interception, which was returned for a touchdown by Washington’s Quan Martin. But during the return, Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu hit Goff in the head, knocking him out of the play. Goff had to go through concussion protocol but eventually returned to the game. However, no penalty was called on the hit, and the Lions were left trailing by 10 points instead of getting the ball with better field position.
The NFL later admitted the hit should have resulted in a roughing-the-passer penalty, which would’ve wiped out Martin’s touchdown and given the Lions a chance to keep the ball. Instead, Detroit was forced to play catch-up for the rest of the game, eventually losing 45-31.
While the Lions’ defense struggled all night, this missed penalty has fans wondering what might’ve happened had the call been made correctly. Unfortunately, we’ll never know, but with the NFL owning up to the mistake, the sting of this blown call will likely linger for a long time. The Lions now have to shift their focus to the offseason and gear up for the next season with hopes of overcoming this year’s disappointments.