The NFL's replacement referees mistakenly gave the Tennessee Titans 12 free yards on their overtime drive, which resulted in the game-winning field goal to defeat the Detroit Lions, 44-41.
On a second-and-18 from their own 44 yard line, the Tennessee Titans complete a 24-yard pass to tight end Craig Stevens. There was also a personal foul on Detroit on the play, giving Tennessee an extra 15-yards. This completion plus penalty would have put the ball inside Detroit's red zone. However, the catch was reviewed following the play and eventually ruled incomplete.
The personal foul penalty, by rule, still applies, so although the pass was incomplete, the Tennessee Titans should have gained 15-yards from their previous spot. From their own 44-yard line, that should have placed the Titans at the Detroit 41-yard line. However, the replacement referees mistakenly marked off the penalty starting from the Detroit 44-yard line, not the Tennessee 44-yard line. The result of the blunder was a Titan first-and-10 on Detroit's 29-yard line, 12 yards closer to the end zone than what the penalty warranted.
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz tried to alert the referees of their mistake, but his pleas went unnoticed, reports Jim Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
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