Tampa, Fla. — The Detroit Lions benefited from a ruling that one former general manager said he’s never seen before.
Late in the first quarter against the Buccaneers on Sunday, wide receiver Mike Evans caught a deep pass across the middle, only to have the ball dislodged by a big hit from Lions safety Quandre Diggs. Cornerback Darius Slay quickly scooped up the loose ball.
But the pass was ruled incomplete and Diggs was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver. After some confusion, the Lions challenged the ruling, arguing the pass was complete and fumbled because Evans had established himself as a runner.
After reviewing it, the officials agreed with the Lions and overturned the call.
Former Bucs general manager Mark Dominik weighed in on the play on Twitter.
“The NFL league office in TB vs DET just called into the officials and changed the result of a play I’ve never seen reviewed or changed in football,” he wrote. “They ended up getting it right.”
The Lions have a long history of ending up on the wrong side of unique plays and officiating decisions, but ended up benefiting this time.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
twitter.com/justin_rogers
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