It sure felt as if Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff had pulled off one of those chaotic, season-defining touchdowns in the final minute of the game before it was all wiped away. The referee called for a pass interference, handing the Steelers the win. And while Aaron Rodgers was happy with the outcome, the game tonight resurfaced an old feeling.

“I was there for the fail Mary game. I was standing from me to you from the replacement refs as they caved to the pressure of an angry Seattle Field when that was obviously not simultaneous possessions,” Aaron Rodgers said.

That game still lives in Rodgers’ head. Sept. 24, 2012. Seahawks vs. Packers. In the final play of the game, rookie Russell Wilson threw the ball in the end zone, with Golden Tate and safety MD Jennings both getting their hands on it. Two officials ran in and made two different calls. One signaled touchdown. The other signaled an interception.

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Ultimately, the touchdown stood, giving Seattle the win. Days later, the NFL admitted Tate should’ve been flagged for offensive pass interference after pushing Sam Shields. It all happened during the referee lockout, with replacement officials on the field. Fast forward to Sunday night, and the roles were reversed.

With eight seconds left, Goff fired to St. Brown at the goal line. He caught it right around the 1-yard line, but Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter met him there and kept him out. As they wrestled him down, St. Brown flipped the ball back to Goff. Goff took it, leapt, and broke the plane for a touchdown. Or so it seemed.

Referee Carl Cheffers ruled out the TD because of the pass interference. It didn’t sit well with everyone, but the refs cleared the controversy up.

Refs clear up the Lions-Steelers controversy

Referee Carl Cheffers let everyone know what action led to the infringement.

“The official who called the foul said that the receiver created separation that gave him an advantage in catching the pass. So, he called pass interference,” he said.

“It is a pretty complex play. We had the original player who had the ball lose possession of the ball. So, we had to decide if that was a fumble or a backwards pass because, of course, we have restrictions on the recovery of a fumble inside of two minutes. We ruled that it was a backward pass,” he added.

That part caught a lot of people off guard. Under NFL rules, a game can’t end on a defensive penalty. If the Steelers had been flagged for pass interference, the clock would’ve stopped, and the Lions would’ve gotten one more snap. But Cheffers made it clear why that didn’t apply here.

“Because it is an offensive foul, we do not extend the half. Therefore, there is no score, and there is no replay of the down. That’s
the way the rule is written,” Cheffers said.

But as Cheffers said, it was a pretty complex play. Not everyone knew the rules. No matter the decision, it was always going to be controversial. But ultimately, the rulebook says Cheffers got it right here.