In Week 1 action the replacement referees, who have received much media attention, received relatively positive reviews for their officiating during kickoff weekend. Not from Rams' head coach Jeff Fisher, though, who said the officials essentially gave the Lions an extra timeout in their last second, 27-23, win on Sunday.
Fisher told an Associated Press reporter Monday that he intended to run the clock down to the two-minute warning, then run the ball with Steven Jackson to set up a Greg Zuerlein field goal. Instead, he watched as the 40-second play clock began running while the game clock stayed frozen at 2:38 for a few seconds, forcing the Rams to run their play prior to the two-minute warning.
"In essence, Detroit was granted an extra timeout, I guess, if you want to look at it from our perspective," Fisher told reporters Monday.
The Lions' drive for a game-winning touchdown can't automatically be discounted as the situation would have been much different one less timeout and a little less time, but Detroit certainly would've been at a slightly larger disadvantage had the officials gotten it right.
For more on the St. Louis Rams, visit Turf Show Times. Get all your NFL needs from the SB Nation NFL hub.