2015 NFC Wild Card Game: #6 Lions @ #3 Cowboys

[MrBill]

The Lions travel to Dallas this weekend. Suh will play. Who wins the game?

 

[the Brain]

Stafford's suckiness in the clutch outweighs Romo's

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Detroit has been playing Dallas tough for 2 decades. They are always a bad match up. Whether it's Barry v Emmitt or Dez vs Calvin it seems to usually be a single player on each side taking over. Staffords sneak was an all timer imo. Dez and CJ both had catch of the years last game. Should be an interesting one. Wouldn't be shocked a bit to see Detroit pull it off. Obviously you guys know who I'm rooting for though.

 

[krulmichael]

 

[Tailback U]

This is a tough matchup for Dallas because of how good Detroit is up front.

I think they'll be able to contain Murray without too much safety help alllwing then to help out on Dez.

Detroit 23
Cowboys 20

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

This is a tough matchup for Dallas because of how good Detroit is up front.

I think they'll be able to contain Murray without too much safety help alllwing then to help out on Dez.

Detroit 23
Cowboys 20

Alot of people taking Detroit for granted. Best weapon in the game and a beastly Defensive line is the proper way to match up against Dal.

 

[albidnis]

I as a Giant fan to I even have to vote. Would love to see Cowboys fans miserable once again.

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

I as a Giant fan to I even have to vote. Would love to see Cowboys fans miserable once again.

Lol...jerk.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

The Dallas offensive line is getting manhandled by the Lions right now, they look awful.

 

[the Brain]

Refs look bad to. I'm pulling for Detroit, but there have been 2 very bad calls. Not calling running into the punter & the Off PI that led to Williams' breakaway catch.

 

[MrBill]

How do the Cowboys call an empty backfield 5 WR set on 3rd and 2 inside the red zone? With one of the league's best RB's and OL's?

 

[the Brain]

How do U pick up that flag?

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

That was a horrendously officiated game. Detroit got two gifts that led to do overs and 2 TDs. Then the refs call PI then pick up the flag 3 hours later. Should have been offsetting penalties as there was OPI/Face masking on him before the DPI.
Unfortunately the game came down to who the refs screwed last.

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

The Dallas offensive line is getting manhandled by the Lions right now, they look awful.

Without Free they lack some wisdom there. They were getting stunted and confused alot first half. You have to give credit to the coverage as Romo had eons of time on over a handful of plays that came away with nothing. Detroit was relying heavily on confusion and it worked most of the game.

 

[the Brain]

Without Free they lack some wisdom there. They were getting stunted and confused alot first half. You have to give credit to the coverage as Romo had eons of time on over a handful of plays that came away with nothing. Detroit was relying heavily on confusion and it worked most of the game.

Agreed. Sports talk this AM is making too much of the last bad call & not the earlier ones. It gets on my nerves when the media tries to make light of the officiating, then they choose this time to call them out. I thought they were bad, but at least they evidently weren't biased.

I also want to know why it makes a diff if the refs have worked together before. How does being a side judge change from one crew to the next? The job is still the same, you're looking for the same things.

 

[dope]

that one call was bad in so many ways.....there was def pi along with a facemask so it should have been offsetting.

but there was also a no call on dez bryant who entered the field without his helmet, that should have been a personal foul.

just a poorly officiated game all around.....however you can't blame the refs as you have to handle your own business and the lions fell apart when it mattered most

i wouldn't be surprised if sam martin is good as fucking gone in detroit after that 10 yd punt (which imo was worse than the pi getting reversed)

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Agreed. Sports talk this AM is making too much of the last bad call & not the earlier ones. It gets on my nerves when the media tries to make light of the officiating, then they choose this time to call them out. I thought they were bad, but at least they evidently weren't biased.

I also want to know why it makes a diff if the refs have worked together before. How does being a side judge change from one crew to the next? The job is still the same, you're looking for the same things.

Agreed.
As for the crews. I think the operative word is trust. I've never actually heard a good explanation but trust ,communication and guys knowing the other guy is looking at certain things leads to less confusion. You always have differing points of view but with crews that work together you end up with more consistent calls. Where as all stars one guy might call ticky tack holds the other ignores those but let's the hands to the face fly. Each ref has a job but many calls are group decisions.
Mind you that's just my take based on miniscule amounts of actual talk from refs on telecasts.

that one call was bad in so many ways.....there was def pi along with a facemask so it should have been offsetting.

but there was also a no call on dez bryant who entered the field without his helmet, that should have been a personal foul.

just a poorly officiated game all around.....however you can't blame the refs as you have to handle your own business and the lions fell apart when it mattered most

i wouldn't be surprised if sam martin is good as fucking gone in detroit after that 10 yd punt (which imo was worse than the pi getting reversed)

Detroits kicking game is atrocious holy moly. The FG stats over the season fly in the face of Warner2Metrics and that punt was abysmal.
Btw both teams did stupendous jobs scheming against Dez and Calvin. For arguably the two most dangerous WRs in the game to be tied down like that is so impressive.

 

[MrBill]

just a poorly officiated game all around.....however you can't blame the refs as you have to handle your own business and the lions fell apart when it mattered most

That's pretty much how I come down on it. The Lions had a bunch of opportunities to win the game outside of that one call.

 

[ThunderHorse]

That was a horrendously officiated game. Detroit got two gifts that led to do overs and 2 TDs. Then the refs call PI then pick up the flag 3 hours later. Should have been offsetting penalties as there was OPI/Face masking on him before the DPI.
Unfortunately the game came down to who the refs screwed last.

Pete Morelli is the worst referee I have ever seen in football. He's so bad sometimes I honestly wonder if he isn't fixing games.

I watched him do it in 05 during the Steelers Colt debacle, but I held my tongue because I am a Colt fan. Then he did it again in 09 when Favre's Vikings got royally screwed by his crew again in the NFC Championship game against the Saints.

Why is this guy still employed?

 

[krulmichael]

In the end, was it a terrible call? Perhaps. I was more angered at the fact that they threw the flag, ANNOUNCED it, and then without explanation, took it away. Even after that, Dez should have been flagged for being on the field without his helmet, but what's done is done.

Lions only scored 3 points in the 2nd half; can't do that and expect to win a playoff game. Caldwell being safe in that situation and punting was iffy, but at the time I thought it was a good call. Now obviously, if I would have known Martin would shank the punt rather than put it within the 20 as he so often does (whoever called for Martin to be cut is crazy by the way; the guy is one of the top 3 punters the past 2 years, check the stats), then I would have rather gambled for the 1st.

I know as a lifelong Lions fan we've had more than our fair share of pain, but I thought it was hilariously ridiculous seeing some Lions fans calling for Caldwell to be fired after the game last night. Don't even need to explain why that's a joke.