The unnecessary roughness penalty called on Detroit Lions defensive tackle Danny Shelton midway through the second quarter was by no means the only reason the Lions lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 41-21, on Sunday at Ford Field.
But the questionable call, on a late flag, continued a scoring drive for the Colts that provided them with early momentum.
With the score tied at 7 and 7:04 left in the second quarter, the Colts faced third-and-4 from the Lions’ 34-yard line. Shelton, Romeo Okwara and Da’Shawn Hand engulfed Colts quarterback Philip Rivers and two offensive linemen.