The refs screw the Packers for Za’Darius Smith’s dirty hit on Jordan Love

One of the many entertaining storylines leading up to Thursday night’s game in Detroit was the matchup between Za’Darius Smith. Smith and the Packers obviously have a history, as two of Smith’s three Pro Bowl appearances came during his season in Green Bay.

After stints in Minnesota and Cleveland, Smith was traded to Detroit earlier this year and is this year’s official, popular veteran who can go from mess to title contender.

He didn’t need much time to establish himself Thursday night, perhaps escaping with a little call to his hometown in the process. I don’t want to say that the refs in Detroit see the Lions game any differently, but I like the funniest tweets I find that imply that.

During a Packers tackle in the first half, Love was leaving the pocket — and being dragged down at the same time — when Smith flew in and touched Love’s helmet. It certainly looks like he got away with a penalty!

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But you (and all the people on the internet who also think it’s a punishment) can judge for yourself. Maybe there’s a loophole that secretly allows defenders to run their forearm through a QB that I just don’t know about.

The video was also a pretty good recap of the first quarter for the Packers. Entering the second quarter, Green Bay’s offense had less than 100 yards of total offense, with the first three possessions being two three-pointers and a fumble by Christian Watson.

It wasn’t the most encouraging 17 minutes in football, and seeing Smith in a Lions jersey just feels kind of weird.

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