Marvin Jones knew it was a catch as soon as he came down with the ball. He definitely knew it was a catch when he watched the replay on the big screen following a challenge by Darrell Bevell.
The officials saw something else -- well, at least a few of them.
After reviewing what appeared to be an acrobatic touchdown grab by Jones in the fourth quarter of the Lions' loss to the Packers on Sunday, they upheld the call on the field: incomplete.
Jones wasn't buying it -- and apparently neither were some of the referees.
"I knew I had it once I caught the ball," said Jones. "Obviously when I caught the ball my feet were down. So when I got up and he said it was incomplete, it threw me for a loop -- especially when I saw it on the big screen. I mean, both my feet were down when the ball was in my hands.
"I don’t know if I can say too much without getting in trouble, but I definitely think it was a catch. And I was actually mic’d up and there were a couple refs that thought it was a catch, too. So we'll just leave it at that."
Jones did appear to establish possession with both feet in bounds, but the replay officials decided there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call on the field. Just another catch that wasn't in Detroit's long history of controversial calls.
Jones finished with four receptions for 48 yards -- instead of five for 83 and a touchdown.
"When something like that happens you just get more motivated to make another catch. Right when they took that away I was like, shoot, I wanna get something again," he said. "You just gotta put it behind you, because it is what it is. You can’t change it. They’ll probably look at it and holla at coach tomorrow and tell the truth."
Fellow wide receiver Jamal Agnew weighed in on Twitter, declaring the call 'bs.' Darrell Bevell, being the head coach, was a little more diplomatic with his words.
"I thought Marvin made a really good attempt at the ball, I saw the ball in his hands. It was a play worth challenging," he said. "It gave us an opportunity to be down there at the one- or the two-yard line or in the end zone, so a big play there."
The Lions wound up scoring a touchdown six plays later, so the call may not have changed the outcome of the game. But it could change the rest of Detroit's season -- Matthew Stafford injured his ribs later in the drive when he was leveled by Packers DT Kenny Clark.
His status moving forward is unclear.