Falcons Beat Lions After Golden Tate TD Overturned, 10-Second Runoff

The Atlanta Falcons won by the slimmest of margins Sunday in their 30-26 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Lions wide receiver Golden Tate appeared to give the Lions a 32-30 lead in the final seconds with a one-yard touchdown reception. Upon further review, however, the referee ruled Tate down at the 1-yard line and ran 10 seconds off the clock after overturning the initial ruling.

As a result of the runoff, the game ended.

Fox Sports officiating analyst Dean Blandino, who had served as the NFL's senior vice president of officiating, explained the controversial decision:

The Lions' official Twitter account offered its thoughts:

Brad Galli of WXYZ in Detroit noted the Lions have been in this position before, alluding to Calvin Johnson's game-winning touchdown catch that was wiped off the board in a September 2010 game against the Chicago Bears:

The final ruling bailed out Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in what was an uncharacteristically poor showing. Ryan was 24-of-35 for 294 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. It's the first time he has thrown three or more interceptions in a game since a 24-21 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 22, 2015.

Devonta Freeman had a nice game on the ground for Atlanta, running for 106 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.