Fans at Ford Field were not happy with Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz on Sunday and he didn't seem particularly pleased with them. Just before his team headed into overtime against New York Giants with the score even 20-20 and his team's playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Schwartz appeared to pose an explicit question to those who were booing his play calling.
Schwartz drew the ire of the fans in Detroit for a calling for a run on a 1st-and-10 play from his team's 25-yard line. Despite having two timeouts unused and 23 seconds to work with, Schwartz seemed content to head to overtime rather than take a couple shots down the field in hopes of winning in regulation. As the clock kept ticking toward zero, boos from Lions fans rained down. At one point, Schwartz appeared to turn around and shout something profane in the fans' direction.
After the Giants won in overtime -- handing the Lions their fifth loss in six games -- Schwartz denied directly speaking to the crowd before the overtime session.
“I wasn’t addressing the crowd,” Schwartz said, per CBS Detroit. . “I was just trying to get our team fired up."
He did admit that he heard the boos and was not pleased.
"I mean I was disappointed to hear boos. We were getting ready to go to overtime right there. Our crowd is great for us, and they support us. I thought our team needed a lift right there. We didn’t need to feel bad at that point," Schwartz said, per CBS Detroit.
The overtime loss eliminated the Lions from the playoff picture. Missing the postseason will be especially painful this year as the team started the season 6-3 while two division rivals lost their quarterbacks for part of the season. After that hot start, the Lions went 1-5 to fall out of the playoff picture. The late-season struggles may cost Schwartz his job. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Lions have already begun reaching out to candidates on their list of potential replacements for the embattled head coach.
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