The last time the Packers and Lions played, a controversial facemask penalty game Green Bay one last chance to steal a victory. And they did, thanks to a rafters-kissing moonshot from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that ended in a touchdown to tight end Richard Rodgers.
This year, for the first of two installments between the two teams, the same referee who handled the last meeting will be handling this one.
Via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, Carl Cheffers has drawn the Lions-Packers assignment again, for Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field.
Before the season, Cheffers made at appearance at Lions camp, where he faced pointed questions from the media regarding what appeared to be a phantom facemask call.
“It’s just control,” Cheffers said. “So if you get fingers in there and you control the mask, there’s really no element of time or anything like that in that. It’s just controlling the mask, so turning the thing sideways or anything like that is enough control to have a face mask penalty.”
Members of the Detroit media asked Cheffers to watch the play again. He responded by saying, “Dude, I’m not going to watch that again. It’s 2016, dude.”
Yes it is. And Detroit media and Lions fans will be paying close attention to every call Cheffers makes -- and doesn’t make.