Calvin Johnsonaccepted the blame for his fumble that cost his team a chance to win Monday night at Seattle, explaining that the winless Lions can't put the game in the hands of the officials.
Teammate James Ihedigbo wasn't so understanding after NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino confirmed that Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wrightshould have been penalized for batting Johnson's fumbled ball out of the back of the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
"It's costing wins and losses. A simple, 'Sorry, we made a mistake,' doesn't suffice," Ihedigbo said, via MLive Media Group's Kyle Meinke. "... (The officials have) got to be held accountable, just like the players are."
Per numberFire Live's win probability chart, the Lions' chances of winning would have jumped to 85.39 percent with a touchdown on that series. Once the Seahawks were awarded the ball, their own chances of winning soared to 99.85 percent. The goal-line fumble and subsequent missed call, therefore, caused a swing of 85.24 percent.
While Ihedigbo was understandably indignant, coach Jim Caldwell regrettably accepted his team's fate, telling reporters that the Lions aren't going to "cry about" the call.
"The play at the end was a questionable play cause it was a batted ball but you know that goes to upstairs so there's nothing you can do about it," Caldwell said.
"I'm not going to even go there. Talk to Blandino and the rest of those guys. They'll explain it. ... We lost. Not matter how we lost, we lost."
