Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Detroit Lions Gregory Shamus/GettyImages

Lions might've stolen a huge in-game win after a weird Dan Campbell challenge

Originally posted on Side Lion Report
By Candace Pedraza | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 10:35 PM ET

Finally, we've got some solid evidence that the NFL is not, in fact, conspiring against the Detroit Lions.

In all seriousness, the Lions finally benefitted from a challenge flag thrown by Dan Campbell at the start of the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7. It had already been quite a strange game, with the expected weakness for the Lions (their secondary) being their strength, and their strength (their offense) was quite bad outside of Jahmyr Gibbs.

On this challenge, Campbell was protesting that Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton had actually made a fair catch on a very close first down snag. The clip shows Otton get the ball, land on his knee, extend his arms to try and get the first down, and then lose the football. Originally, the referees said that Otton had made a catch and gotten the first. Campbell, again, was challenging that it was even a catch.

Dan Campbell has challenged this First Down by the Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/eMCdPhrleO
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) October 21, 2025

The referees reviewed the play and essentially say that Campbell lost the challenge. Otton had made a catch. But, the referees then say that the Buccaneers hadn't gotten a first on the reception, meaning that it was a turnover on downs and the ball had to be given back to the Lions. And, Campbell was given his challenge back.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield were irate on the sideline after this call. After all, Campbell shouldn't have gotten his challenge back considering he wasn't challenging that it was a first down, just that it was a reception. The rules continue to perplex fans and viewers of the league, and the teams they eventually end up "screwing." In this case, that's the Buccaneers.