Lions' Dan Campbell addresses controversial pass interference penalty after loss to Eagles

With under two minutes to play in the "Sunday Night Football" game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions, the Eagles found themselves on the positive end of a controversial defensive pass interference penalty that ultimately allowed them to ice away a 16-9 win that improved them to 8-2 on the season. 

Following the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell addressed the call that went against cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.

Dan Campbell doesn't blame Rock Ya-Sin for costly penalty

"I thought he played defense like he did the whole game," Campbell said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Played it like he played the very first rep that we played man to man, so I wouldn’t tell him to do anything different."

Replays showed that Ya-Sin seemed to at least try to grab the arm of Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown after quarterback Jalen Hurts delivered his pass on 3rd-and-eight. Nevertheless, NBC's Cris Collinsworth passionately said he felt the referee made an "absolutely terrible call." 

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley later picked up a first down with his legs to ensure that the Lions wouldn't get the ball back. 

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted that referee Alex Kemp spoke with a pool reporter about the call in question after the game. Unsurprisingly, Kemp stood by the decision. 

"The official observed the receiver’s arm getting grabbed and restricting him from going up to make the catch," Kemp explained. "So, the ball was in the air, there was a grab at the arm, restricted him and he called defensive pass interference."

Does Dan Campbell regret decisions against Eagles? 

Of course, that one play has nothing to do with the fact that the Lions scored only nine points against the Eagles. On Sunday night, Detroit went 3-for-13 in third-down situations and 0-for-5 on fourth down. Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 14-of-37 passes for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss that dropped the club to 6-4.

"There are some things I wish I would have done differently," Campbell admitted after the game, per Tim Twentyman of the Lions' website. "If you go totally conservative in the way this game played out and the way it was, you have a better chance of winning that game. Some of those decisions, I understand that. Also, that's who we are. That's who I am. And it bit us today."

The Lions should have an opportunity to produce a bounce-back performance when they host the lowly New York Giants (2-9) on Nov. 23. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Detroit as an 11.5-point favorite for that contest.