There seems to be a growing consensus on the two controversial calls in the latest Detroit Lions game.
The Lionslost 29-24 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Ford Field in Detroit in a game that all but killed Detroit’s playoff hopes. The Lions had two touchdowns wiped away by offensive pass interference calls in the final minute of the game, erasing what could have been game-winning touchdowns on controversial penalties.
Many experts around the game have weighed in on both calls, with most agreeing that the second pass interference call on Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to end the game was the correct call. However, the first pass interference call on rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa has garnered more disagreement.
“They got the last one right, but they certainly got the previous one dead-ass wrong,” said former NFL coach Rex Ryan on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday, Dec. 22. “The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he’s the guy that initiated the contact here on TeSlaa. This is an awful call. And unfortunately it cost the Lions here a win and probably a playoff spot. This is atrocious right here.”
With the Lions facing a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line down by five points with 25 seconds left in the game, TeSlaa was flagged for pass interference for running into Steelers safety Kyle Dugger, though he appeared to be shoved into Dugger by Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
A terrible penalty assessed on Lions Rookie Isaac Teslaa for being redirected into a defensive player on Amon-Ra St. Brown’s go-ahead TD with :22 sec left in the game. #Lions#DetroitLions#lionsvssteelerspic.twitter.com/jv5D4PYXS3
— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) December 22, 2025
That caused some disagreement from many immediately after the game, including from Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
“The one where [St. Brown] caught it and we thought was a touchdown, in my opinion that’s a bad call,” he said.
Other ESPN NFL experts were a bit more reserved with their judgement, however.
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said on ESPN’s First Take said the calls were “not how you want a game to end,” but also put some of the onus on TeSlaa.
“The receiver has to make a more sound effort to avoid the defender, even though he’s being blocked or touched into the defender,” he said.
.@CameronNewton shares his thoughts on the refs after the Lions vs. Steelers wild finish 👀 pic.twitter.com/fct9CQUp2U
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 22, 2025
Former Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky, however, was a bit sharper with his analysis on First Take.
“The pass interference that he calls to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the flat? That’s a bad call,” he said.
Orlovksy also pointed out that the referees were inconsistent with their pass interference calls throughout the drive, saying that the call on TeSlaa was inconsistent with pass interference penalties that should have been called earlier in the drive.
“Those dudes are fist-fighting eight yards down the field,” he said. “If you can’t call [pass interference] then, then you can’t call the one that they do to take away the first touchdown.”
Though the Lions are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the loss to the Steelers makes Detroit’s road to the postseason very difficult to walk through. The Lions won’t have much time to recover from the loss, either, with a Christmas Day game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings coming up.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions vs Steelers penalty calls by refs has Rex Ryan livid on ESPN
