FORD FIELD MICHIGAN: The Lions and Bears were tied 3-3 in the 2^nd quarter, with the Lions defense on the field. Jamie Collins, a key defensive player for the Lions, was getting frustrated. He believed that a Bears player was lowering his head during tackles. Doing this is not only a penalty, but it is also unsafe.

In an attempt to bring this rule infraction to a referee’s attention, Collins went up to a ref and complained about the missed calls. To further reinforce his point, he ‘gently’ head-butted the ref. Collins was immediately charged with unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game.

When asked about the incident, Head Coach Matt Patricia expressed empathy, saying that “He was just trying to demonstrate, more so than do anything aggressive.” But later went on to clarify that he did agree with the call. “You can’t touch an official. It is what it is.” Jamie Collins has not publicly spoken about his ejection.

The Lions offense played with vengeance from that point on, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game. Going into the fourth quarter, the Lions held a 20-point lead. Despite a 98.3% win probability in the fourth quarter, The Bears scored 21 unanswered points and won the game

Many believe that a gutted defense was to blame. Including Collins, five of Detroit’s defensive starters were unable to finish the game.