Refs got Lions penalty on wide receiver wrong, Rex Ryan says

The Detroit Lions lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the most chaotic endings of the season.

Penalty flags plagued the Lions’ final drive as Amon-Ra St. Brown was called for offensive pass interference on the final play, which negated the lateral touchdown to Jared Goff. Five plays earlier, a St. Brown touchdown was taken off the board thanks to an Isaac TeSlaa penalty.

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Jared Goff, left, of the Lions 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 the TeSlaa penalty was a farce and the St. Brown touchdown should have counted.

“They got the last one right, but they certainly got the previous one dead a– wrong,” Ryan said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he’s the guy who initiated the contact on TeSlaa. He initiated the contact. It’s an awful call, and unfortunately it cost the Lions a win here and probably a playoff spot. So, yeah, this is atrocious right here.”

Ryan said the St. Brown offensive pass interference penalty looked right in his eyes.

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Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks 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 a PI by Amon-Ra St. Brown. Yes, he goes 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, quite honestly, it was only a two-man rush. You’re gonna have time. You’re not going to need to get separation. You have plenty of time. And, unfortunately, that was the outcome.

“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 the TeSlaa penalty.

“That’s a bad call,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to make any excuses for the team’s loss.

Detroit’s playoff chances took a major hit because of the loss. There’s still hope but it is minimal.

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“We know the percentages. We know we’re not eliminated. We know some things need 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 Associated Press contributed to this report.

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