The first half of the Lions vs. Packers "Sunday Night Football" game in Week 18 ended in strange fashion.
Detroit had lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining in the half, but a boneheaded penalty by the Packers moved them 15 yards closer.
So, what happened? Well, just before the Lions were preparing to attempt the 48-yarder, Packers coach Matt LaFleur called a timeout. Few on the field seemed to realize this had happened, save for defensive back Rasul Douglas.
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Douglas, who was on the field as part of the Packers' field goal defense, was among the first to hear the officials whistle a timeout. Once he did, he marched toward Lions long snapper Scott Daly and tried to take the ball from him.
Rasul Douglas 💀 pic.twitter.com/NAiam8RLo7
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) January 9, 2023
Douglas was clearly attempting to prevent Michael Badgley from taking a practice kick. But his maneuver caused some shoving between Lions blockers and Packers defenders.
Douglas was whistled for a 15-yard personal foul penalty during the tiff. How did he earn that? Well, he hit Lions tackle Dan Skipper in the face with an open hand.
Since NBC refused to show what actually caused the personal foul on Rasul Douglas pic.twitter.com/ILtOTr2jlS
— Eddie (@DepressedDETN) January 9, 2023
Had Douglas thrown a punch, he could have been ejected. Instead, he was only flagged, but that still gave Badgley a much easier kick from 33 yards. The veteran made it with ease to cut Green Bay's lead to 9-6.
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So, the penalty proved costly, especially considering that Badgley had missed badly from 46 yards earlier in the half.
Douglas explained on Monday that Badgley's earlier miss played a part in his decision to go after the ball. He wanted to make sure he didn't allow the kicker to get in a practice attempt to get comfortable from the range of the kick.
Douglas also apologized for the ensuing hit that got him flagged in his Twitter explanation.
Crazy people don’t get why I did this . He missed a kick earlier in the game and we called timeout on this play . I wasn’t about to let him get a free kick so I did this . Now me hitting him after he pushed me I take full accountability for . https://t.co/00sTBoEPB3
— rasul (@rd32_era) January 9, 2023
Douglas wasn't the only Packers played to make a key mistake that proved costly to the team in their 20-16 defeat. One of the team's top linebackers, Quay Walker, was ejected on the Lions' game-winning touchdown drive for shoving a member of Detroit's medical staff. That allowed the Lions to run with ease against Green Bay's defensive front.
Both mistakes cost the Packers potential points and helped swing the outcome of the game in Detroit's favor. Suffice to say, Douglas and Walker will be mulling those careless moments often during the 2023 NFL offseason.
