Lions make huge error by not challenging apparent Baker Mayfield sack

The Detroit Lions may have made a significant blunder late in the third quarter of Sunday’s NFC Divisional game by not throwing a challenge flag on a key missed call.

The Lions pressured Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield on a second down play in the red zone while nursing a 17-10 lead late in the third. Under heavy pressure, Mayfield appeared to throw the ball away and the pass was ruled incomplete, with a receiver in the area preventing an intentional grounding call.

Replays, however, showed that Mayfield’s calf appeared to be down before he was able to release the pass.

Was Baker down here before he got the ball off? #TBvsDET pic.twitter.com/wswln9GaGc

— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) January 21, 2024

For whatever reason, the Lions did not challenge the play. If they had and the call had been overturned, the Buccaneers would have been facing roughly a 3rd and 20. Instead, they set up a screen pass to Rachaad White on 3rd and 10 and wound up scoring a game-tying touchdown.

Perhaps the Lions did not see a useful replay quickly enough, or maybe they felt the call on the field would not be overturned. Whatever the case, the consensus was that they were wrong, as NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay felt that Mayfield was clearly down before releasing the pass. The lack of a flag may have cost them at least four points, and considering how aggressive Dan Campbell tends to be, it was a real surprise that he held off on throwing the red flag.