The Detroit Lions were no match for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. Detroit lost 30-17 in a game where they could not stop a nosebleed on defense. But it was Detroit's offense that was under the spotlight early, especially after a trick play touchdown to Jared Goff was negated with a penalty.
Referee Craig Wrolstad spoke with reporters after the game and explained why Goff's touchdown was negated.
“If the quarterback assumes the quarterback position and then goes in motion, he has to then stop for a second before they snap the ball,” Wrolstad said per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. “Because he gets out of the view of some of the officials, we had to piece it together as a crew as to whether he stopped initially and then whether he stopped when he went in motion. It was determined after a lengthy discussion that he stopped at the quarterback position and then went in motion. But when he does that, he has to stop when he goes in motion.”
In the play in question, Goff approached the center but then split out wide. The Lions hiked the ball directly to David Montgomery, who threw the ball to Goff. He rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown, briefly putting Detroit up 7-0.
Wrolstad also confirmed that Goff's touchdown would have counted if he had come to a complete stop after going in motion.
Lions defense could not contain Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs on Sunday Night Football
Detroit's depleted defense could not hold up against Patrick Mahomes on Sunday night.
The Lions were at the bottom of the barrel of their secondary depth in Week 6. Detroit was missing Terrion Arnold, DJ Reed, Ennis Rakestraw, Avonte Maddox, and a host of reserve players against Kansas City.
Detroit's secondary was obviously their vulnerability heading into the game. And Mahomes made them pay for it.
The legendary quarterback went 22-of-30 for 257 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs marched up and down the field, only punting one time throughout the entire game.
That put too much pressure on Detroit's offense to play a perfect game. They seemed to understand that if they made one mistake, they could lose the game.
Hopefully the Lions can get healthier soon with a Week 8 bye upcoming.
Next up for the Lions is a Monday Night Football game against the Buccaneers in Week 7.
