Former NFL coach criticizes refs for Lions penalty that took Amon-Ra St Brown’s final touchdown off the board
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The Detroit Lions lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the most chaotic finishes to the season.
Penalty flags plagued the Lions’ final drive when Amon-Ra St. Brown was called for offensive pass interference on the final play, denying Jared Goff a lateral touchdown. Five plays earlier, a St. Brown touchdown was taken off the board thanks to an Isaac TeSlaa penalty.
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The Lions’ Jared Goff, left, and wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa celebrate a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan suggested that TeSlaa’s penalty was a hoax and that St. Brown’s touchdown should have counted.
“They got the last one right, but they certainly got the last one wrong,” Ryan said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he’s the guy who initiated the contact with TeSlaa. He initiated the contact. It’s a terrible decision, and unfortunately it cost the Lions a win here and probably a playoff berth. So, yeah, this is egregious right there.”
Ryan said St. Brown’s offensive pass interference penalty looked him right in the eye.
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Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks with officials after the final play of the Pittsburgh Steelers game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“Now, on the last one, it was clearly an Amon-Ra St. Brown PI. Yeah, he comes in and as soon as he extends with both hands, it’s a penalty… What St. Brown has to do in that situation is understand that this is going to be a three-man rush by Pittsburgh. And, honestly, it was just a two-man rush. You’ll have time. You won’t need to separate. You’ve got plenty of time. And, unfortunately, that was the result.
“There’s no two ways about it. The first one to St. Brown was a touchdown. An absolute touchdown.”
Jared Goff agreed with Ryan on TeSlaa’s penalty.
“That’s a bad decision,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to make any excuses for the team’s loss.
Detroit’s chances of making the playoffs took a big hit due to the loss. There is still hope but it is minimal.
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“We know the percentages. We know we’re not eliminated. We know some things have to go our way,” Goff said. “I know who we are. I know who we can be. Certain games we haven’t fired on all cylinders.”
The News contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.