Lions got called for a hands to the face penalty committed by the Bears

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell chewed out referee Jeff Triplette’s staff after an illegal hands to the face penalty moved Detroit back 10 yards. It turns out Caldwell had a pretty good case.

Replays showed there was an illegal move during the play in question, but it turns out it was Chicago Bears defensive lineman Eddie Goldman using a Detroit lineman’s facemask as leverage to get into the backfield. Instead of calling the foul on Chicago, Triplette flagged the Lions, turning a 14-yard gain into a 10-yard loss for Caldwell’s team.

Former offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley took to Twitter to showcase just how impressively incorrect Triplette’s call was.

The horrible call didn’t have a major affect on the Lions’ drive. Stafford hit Marvin Jones for a 48-yard gain two plays later, setting up a 29-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3 in the second quarter.