Did the Packers get away with a controversial timeout? You decide

Following Green Bay's 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Nov. 27, Packers coach Matt LaFleur was asked whether the referees were right granting his team a timeout late in the second quarter, negating a false start penalty that would have turned a critical fourth-and-1 into a fourth-and-6.

"Of course they got it right," LaFleur said.

And then he winked.

It may not have been the most critical play at Ford Field on Thursday. But it was the play that drew the most controversy, both online and on the field.

Up 10-7 with 2:16 left in the first half, the Packers had the ball on Detroit's 2-yard line down to a fourth-and-1. It then appeared that Green Bay right tackle Anthony Belton moved backward before the snap, drawing a flag and a presumed false start penalty that would have pushed the Packers back by 5 yards, potentially prompting a field goal attempt.

Except the false start was never called. After a deliberation among the officials, it was deemed that LaFleur had called timeout before Belton moved, giving the Packers another shot at their fourth-and-1 play.

"I was calling timeout," LaFleur said after the game, appearing to hold back a smirk.

The Packers didn't miss out with their new opportunity, with quarterback Jordan Love finding receiver Romeo Doubs for a 2-yard touchdown. But the video replay suggests the referees may have gotten it wrong, with one angle showing LaFleur motioning for a timeout moments after Belton stepped backwards.

The referees were steadfast after the game in saying that LaFleur had called the timeout before the false start.

"We talked about it on the field," referee Ron Torbert told a PFWA pool reporter. "We recognized the timeout called, and that the timeout was called before the false start."

The touchdown that followed the timeout gave the Packers a 17-7 lead with just over two minutes to play in the half. The Lions then scored a touchdown of their own on the next drive, making it a 17-14 game before halftime.

It wasn't the only score, nor the only key play. But if that call had gone in the Lions' direction, would this game have looked different?

Based on the video, it sure looked like the referees missed the call, with the Packers knowing they got away with it.

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You can reach Christian at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Packers coach Matt LaFleur winks during timeout talk vs Detroit Lions