Pat McAfee Sides With Tom Brady Over Controversial Packers-Lions Officiating

The Detroit Lions beat their rival Green Bay Packers 20-17 on Sunday, moving to 4-2 on the season while the Packers dropped to 4-3. But the result was overshadowed by several controversial officiating decisions, particularly two roughing-the-passer calls against Green Bay.

The most significant issue came with the game tied 17-17 and less than three minutes remaining. Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks hit Lions quarterback Jared Goff just after he released a ball to tight end Sam LaPorta. Refs flagged Brooks for roughing the passer, adding 15 yards to the 18-yard completion and helping Detroit move into field-goal range. The Lions eventually won on a 22-yard Jake Bates field goal as time expired.

Tom Brady, calling the game for FOX alongside Kevin Burkhardt, was stunned by the decision.

"No, my goodness. What is that? There's no way! That's definitely not roughing the passer!" Brady said. FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino agreed, describing the play as a textbook tackle rather than a penalty.

ESPN personality Pat McAfee later praised Brady's willingness to criticize officiating publicly, posting on social media after the game:

"I really appreciate Tom Brady's disdain for some of the Roughing the Passer calls. He's an owner and one of the lead commentators ... he's got A LOT OF WEIGHT."

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Brady is FOX's lead NFL game analyst and owns a 5% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, approved by NFL team owners in October 2024. The league placed restrictions on his broadcasting access due to his ownership role, including limits on attending team production meetings and accessing team facilities, players, and coaches. The conditions also require him to follow league rules that prohibit owners from publicly criticizing officials and other clubs.

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Brady's not the first to criticize the officiating this year, though. The 2026 season has seen many questionable penalties called each week, and the late roughing calls on Sunday directly affected Detroit's game-winning drive. Green Bay also missed two field goals, threw a costly fourth-quarter interception, and scored only seven points in seven trips to the red zone, but it doesn't take away from some obvious missed calls that add to a growing list fans have noticed this season.