The Detroit Lions’ Week 6 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs was already painful, but the frustration deepened when a beautifully executed trick-play touchdown was nullified by a penalty.
What looked like a clever piece of play-calling from Dan Campbell turned into confusion for everyone, including quarterback Jared Goff, who admitted he was puzzled by the officials’ explanation of the infraction.
A Touchdown That Didn’t Stand
On Detroit’s first possession, Goff appeared to finish a nearly 10-minute drive with a highlight-worthy touchdown grab on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line.
The Lions unveiled a creative play: Goff initially lined up under center, then motioned out just before the snap while running back David Montgomery took a direct snap. Montgomery, once a high school quarterback, rolled right and threw a perfect pass to Goff, who hauled it in as Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered a textbook block on the edge.
It seemed flawless. But seconds later, yellow flags flew, and the touchdown was wiped away due to illegal motion.
Afterward, Goff said both he and the coaching staff were caught completely off guard by the decision.
“I guess we all need to study up on what exactly happened,” Goff said. “My hands weren’t under center, and I was set before the snap. From my understanding, that’s all that’s required.”
“That’s a Version of the Rule I Didn’t Know Existed”
Officials ruled that Goff’s closeness to the center — not just his hand placement — designated him as a quarterback, meaning he couldn’t legally go in motion without pausing first.
It was a technical interpretation, and Goff admitted it was one he’d never encountered.
“They told us that because I was too close to the center, I was still considered a quarterback and couldn’t motion,” Goff said. “I thought the only thing that mattered was if my hands were actually under center. So that’s a version of the rule I didn’t know existed — and I think a lot of our coaches didn’t either.”
The call wiped away what could have been an early momentum swing. Instead, the Lions settled for a field goal — one of several missed chances in the 30-17 defeat.
The Aggravation Over the Delayed Call
To make matters worse, the flag came long after the play was over. The Lions were preparing for the extra point when the officials gathered and reversed the touchdown.
“We were already lining up for the extra point,” Goff said. “Apparently, it’s an illegal formation that they called down from the booth, which I’ve never seen before. But look, that’s not what decided the game. It was just a cool play that would’ve been fun to score on, and yeah, a touchdown there would’ve been nice — but it’s not the difference.”
Still, Goff acknowledged that confusion like that can hurt a team when every possession matters.
Even with the disappointment, Goff didn’t put the loss solely on officiating. He instead highlighted the Lions’ inability to finish drives.
“We ran it well and threw it well at times,” Goff said. “It just came down to finishing drives with touchdowns. They did, and we didn’t.”
Now, the Lions turn their attention to next Monday night’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, aiming to clean up small errors and make sure their creativity actually shows up on the scoreboard.