“There is a flag on the play.”
It’s one of the most discouraging, frustrating and seemingly common phrases in football. Detroit Lions fans know it very well, unfortunately.
However, the Lions broadcast crews didn’t have to utter that dreaded phrase directed at Detroit in 2022 as they have recently. Head coach Dan Campbell’s Lions were more disciplined and conformist to the rule book last season than Detroit has been in a very long time.
Thanks to data from the NFL’s own stats and NFL Penalties, here are some of the notes on how the Lions and the officials interacted in 2022.