Ref Defends Brutal Pass Interference Call That Ended Eagles vs. Lions

Controversial call explained by man who led officiating crew.

Dan Campbell walks off the field after his Lions suffered a Sunday Night Football defeat. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions somehow found themselves within one score of the Philadelphia Eagles late in their Sunday Night Football showcase and appeared to have mounted a defensive stand to get their struggling offense the ball back in the final minutes. But a dicey pass interference call on Rock Ya-Sin that even Cris Collinsworth couldn't process gave the home team a new set of downs and effectively ended the game.

It was an extremely anticlimactic way for a day full of thrilling finishes to conclude but the officials are there to enforce the rules. And if you think that they're going to come out and say that they made a mistake on a crucial, controversial call then you have not been following pool reports with referees for very long.

Alex Kemp, who wore the white hat for the pivotal NFC matchup, was asked what that call on Ya-Sin was all about after the game.

“The official observed the receiver’s arm getting grabbed and restricting him from going up to make the catch,” Kemp said. “So, the ball was in the air, there was a grab at the arm, restricted him and he called defensive pass interference.”

This is an awful DPI to end the game.

You can't let this happen. Ridiculous. Could argue that's OPI on AJ Brown. pic.twitter.com/4u6ZlQrE22

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 17, 2025

If you watch the replay, there is technically a case for those who want to believe Brown was restricted there at the end from using two arms to catch the ball. Considering the fact that there was some mutual hand-fighting and it was the receiver who pushed off, it's a weak case.

Again, the Lions have no one to blame for the loss but themselves. Philadelphia made Jared Goff, the most accurate passer in the NFL, look terrible for 60 minutes. They wasted their own incredible defensive performance and failed to capitalize on chance after chance.

Still, it's a brutal way to see any hope expire and frustrating to know that the officiating crew stands by the ruling.

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