Let’s go back in time to a previous meeting between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers…
It was October 14th, 2019, as the Lions descended into the deep darkness of the Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia era. At this time, there was still some light at the end of the tunnel. The Lions opened the season 2-1-1, but were coming off a very promising loss to the rising sun that was Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Green Bay was 4-1 and the class of the NFC North, but the Lions appeared poised to challenge them.
And then came the Monday night game in Green Bay, with Clete Blakeman as the referee. Blakeman’s crew called not one but two completely bogus illegal hands to the face calls in crunch time on Lions EDGE Trey Flowers, effectively giving away a very competitive game to the Packers. Green Bay won 23-22 with the gifted penalty augmentation.
Patricia’s Lions would win one more game that year. The early promise of the hopeful start trampled asunder by terrible officiating. Clete Blakeman’s crew was the freight train coming their way for all the world to see.
So it comes as no surprise that Lions fans are aghast that Blakeman will call the critical Week 9 game in Green Bay on Sunday. While the official who threw the erroneous flags at Flowers is no longer on his crew, Blakeman’s spotty history of overruling calls from his crew at a rate astronomically above other referees doesn’t help the perception that he’s easily influenced by partiality.
Here’s hoping for a cleanly officiated game with no controversies. Insert cynically sarcastic remarks and eye-roll emojis here…