Former NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito believes the officials made a mistake by wiping out a late Detroit Lions touchdown in their narrow loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Detroit nearly completed a dramatic comeback, and for a brief moment it appeared they had pulled it off. With less than half a minute remaining, quarterback Jared Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for what looked like a go-ahead score. That celebration didn’t last long, though, as officials flagged wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa for offensive pass interference, nullifying the touchdown.

Incognito criticized the call while speaking on The Arena podcast, arguing that the officials were overly strict given the situation.

He described the play as crowded and physical on both sides, noting that TeSlaa was being pushed and grabbed by defenders as he moved through traffic. According to Incognito, defensive backs initiated contact as much as TeSlaa did, and in a moment that critical, he felt the referees should have stayed out of it.
The play was designed as a pick concept, where one receiver occupies defenders to free another target.

That design worked, leaving St. Brown wide open in the end zone. However, NFL rules only allow contact within one yard of the line of scrimmage, and TeSlaa was beyond that limit when the collision occurred. Video shows TeSlaa lowering his shoulder into safety Kyle Dugger, clearly interfering with Dugger’s ability to cover the play.

Because of that, the penalty was technically correct. Regardless of timing or importance, the rules don’t change, and the contact had a direct impact on the defender.

This wasn’t the first time officials enforced the same rule in the game. Earlier, a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf was also erased due to offensive pass interference. In that instance, tight end Darnell Washington appeared to be more incidental in his contact, even trying to avoid the defender, but the flag was thrown anyway.

While it’s understandable that fans and players were frustrated by the officials’ involvement late in such an entertaining matchup, the outcome can’t be pinned on a single call. Detroit had multiple opportunities earlier in the game to put itself in a better position and ultimately fell short.