NFL owes it to the Chiefs to explain what happened on Lions’ overturned TD
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Officials reviewed Detroit’s trick play and flagged illegal motion under rule.
- Rule prohibits outside aid; officials could not consult league input during review.
- NFL silence damaged credibility; league must explain process to calm Chiefs and Lions.
If you thought the Lions’ game-opening drive Sunday against the Chiefs was long, it’s nothing compared to the debate that’s dragged on this week about Detroit’s overturned touchdown.
The Lions used 9 minutes, 39 seconds of the clock and thought they’d scored on a trick play to open the game. Quarterback Jared Goff went under center from a T-formation, then jogged in motion and caught a touchdown pass.
Unfortunately for the Lions, Goff was never set when he lined up as a receiver, and he was flagged for illegal motion after a lengthy discussion among the game officials.
This is from the NFL rulebook on false starts:
“It is legal for a T-Formation Quarterback to go in motion, whether he has placed his hands under center, on his knees, or on the body of the center. However, it is a false start if the action is quick and abrupt. If the player fails to come to a complete stop for at least one full second prior to the ball being snapped, it is illegal motion.”
The issue that has lingered this week has been less about whether the rule was properly applied (as it was) than how the game officials came to their conclusion.
According to a pool report after the game, referee Craig Wrolstad said the officials made the call themselves.
“It’s my job to see if the quarterback stopped initially,” he said. “The down judge watches the player in motion, and we had to communicate between him, my umpire and my line judge whether or not he initially stopped at the quarterback position and then whether he stopped after he went in motion out of my view toward the left-hand side of the field. There was a little bit of confusion in our discussion about whether he had stopped initially or whether he had stopped at the end and what we were talking about.
“That’s why the flag came in so late.”
Wrolstad said he never received assistance from replay officials at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium or the league’s replay center in New York.
However, Lions coach Dan Campbell said on the “Costa & Jansen” show that he was told by game officials Sunday they received a call from New York.
As NBC Sports’ Mike Florio noted, that play wasn’t reviewable, so any guidance from New York shouldn’t have happened.
“Under the rules as written, outside help was not allowed,” Florio wrote. “If the officials missed it, they missed it.”
For NFL fans who are certain the league is slanted toward helping the Chiefs, this was just another example proving their case.
NFL needs to provide answers
This kerfuffle comes on the heels of the dubious UTEP report that claims NFL referees have been favoring the Chiefs since 2015 when Alex Smith was quarterback.
Because of the ongoing conspiracy theory about helping the Chiefs, the NFL needs to come out and say what happened Sunday night. Either the game officials got no outside help or the NFL made a mistake and reviewed the play.
The latter would inflame fan passion, but the silence from the NFL is already doing that. The league owes it to the Chiefs and Lions to explain what happened.
That’s especially true in the Chiefs’ case, since fans are convinced this is another example of the NFL actively helping Kansas City.
This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 9:05 AM.
