Originally posted on 01/04/2015:

Quote Originally Posted by Eddy Munny View Post
My Lions? Hardly... I don't care who won that game, but the league sure as hell didn't want a third Packers/Lions installment. Packers and "America's team" is a more compelling storyline.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these guys that cries "fix" every chance I get, I'm usually on the other side of that argument... But I'm not naive enough to think that, with the game basically straddling the line, one call here or there can dramatically affect the outcome.

When the officials picked up that PI flag that would have extended a Lions drive into Dallas territory, and the Lions subsequently punted, I knew the tides had turned and it would be an uphill battle for Detroit at that point. Cowboys even got a couple more calls down the stretch to ensure we didn't get a Lions/Packers trilogy.

I don't believe games are scripted, but if they are tight enough, as in the case with this game, an officiating crews' influence can have as much impact on the game as the players themselves. You think that fact is lost on the league brass?
I'm not a Dallas fan by any means, in fact as a kid I hated them, but that flag should have been picked up (shouldn't have been thrown to begin with). The contact was minimal (by both parties, no advantage was gained) and initiated by Pettigrew when he put his hand in the defenders facemask to create space. And this ain't college, no such thing as "face guarding". The players decided the outcome, not the refs.