The Detroit Lions can’t seem to escape playing in games that end in referee scrutiny. After the Brad Allen debacle in Dallas, the Lions drew Craig Wrolstad—a 10-year veteran referee with 21 years of NFL officiating experience—for their playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, a move that seemed promising. The results were disappointing, as Wrolstad’s crew missed or made mistakes on multiple questionable calls throughout the game.
This Sunday, the Lions will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round of the playoffs, and once again, the NFL will send a very experienced referee to Detroit in the hopes of keeping the referee involvement to a minimum.