A late pass interference call on Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin handed the Philadelphia Eagles a 16-9 win in Week 11. The penalty came on a third-and-8 play with under two minutes left, giving Philadelphia a first down and effectively ending the game. Lions coach Dan Campbell defended his player's effort despite the controversy.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Detroit Lions 16-9 in a contentious Week 11 matchup on Sunday Night Football. With the Lions trailing by seven points and less than two minutes remaining, the Eagles faced third-and-8 from their own 38-yard line. Quarterback Jalen Hurts overthrew receiver A.J. Brown, but officials flagged Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin for pass interference, awarding Philadelphia an automatic first down. This call, which NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth called 'terrible,' sealed the victory as Detroit had only one timeout left.
Referee Alex Kemp explained the decision to a pool reporter: 'The official observed the receiver's arm getting grabbed and restricting him from going up to make the catch. So, the ball was in the air, there was a grab at the arm, restricted him and he called defensive pass interference.'
Lions head coach Dan Campbell took the high road post-game, praising Ya-Sin's play: 'Yeah, well, I thought he played defense like he did the whole game, man. I thought he challenged and played it like he did the very first rep that we played man-to-man. So I wouldn't tell him to do anything different, man, get up there and challenge. Play your style and that's it.'
Beyond the penalty, the Lions struggled offensively, scoring a season-low nine points—their fewest since Week 7 of 2023. Detroit went 0-for-5 on fourth-down attempts, a rare feat shared by only two other NFL teams in the last 35 years: the 1995 New England Patriots and the 2022 Lions. Quarterback Jared Goff completed just 38% of his passes, a career low, while wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught two of 12 targets for a 17% catch rate, the lowest of his career.
The loss left questions about what might have happened had Goff gotten the ball back for a potential game-tying drive.