The NFL has a major officiating problem on their hands. (College football does as well – but that’s a story for a different day.)
It seems like each and every game is filled with horrific calls. Worst of all, it seems like the bigger the game, the worse the officiating is.
That’s precisely what’s so maddening. The NFL has a grading system in place where only the best of the best get assigned the big primetime games … And yet, that’s where most of the disastrous officiating seems to happen.
The Sunday Night Football showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers was filled with inexplicable officiating.
The two biggest instances unfolded on the Chiefs final drive, where they were trying to score a game-tying touchdown with just over a minute remaining.
The first controversial call involved an unnecessary roughness penalty against Green Bay for a hit on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes … Despite Mahomes being in bounds (and fighting for extra yardage), the hit on Mahomes was ridiculously deemed to be unnecessary.
The HYPOCRISY of the #NFL refs. #Chargers QB Justin Herbert gets crushed when he was already out of bounds, still NO CALL. pic.twitter.com/TlcEchUGmS#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was in bounds and got hit, the refs called a 15-yard penalty
(🎥@NFL_Memes)
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 4, 2023
“The covering official believed that the defender made late and unnecessary contact on the quarterback. So that was the call for unnecessary roughness.” referee Brad Allen told ESPN after the game.
When questioned further about the decision, Allen defended the call, stating that “the covering official was certain that the call had been made correctly” after internal discussions.
Later in the same drive, a potential game-changing pass interference call was not made when Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine seemed to interfere with Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a downfield pass.
Even the staunchest of Chiefs haters can’t deny this was pass interference. Wow @NFLOfficiating #nfl #sundaynightfootball #ChiefsKingdom #Packers #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/VkCNpBMbU5
— SelloutSports (@SelloutSportsCo) December 4, 2023
Needless to say, the play was the exact definition of pass interference in every single way, shape and form.
However, Allen didn’t see it that way…
“On every play where there may or may not be pass interference, either offensive or defensive, the covering official has to rule whether contact materially restricts the receiver. And in this case, the covering officials were in good position and ruled that there was no material restriction that rose to the level of defensive pass interference,” Allen said.
Text from current NFL head coach: “Time for owners to act on officiating.”
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 4, 2023
There were several other mistakes made during the game – including a Packers tackle that should have resulted in a running clock (which was crucial at the time), however the ref stopped the clock, saving Kansas City precious seconds.
Also, there was clear pass interference on the desperation Hail Mary attempt at the end of the game – as replays showed that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was illegally shoved in the back, preventing him from attempting to catch Mahomes’ pass.
However, it’s hard to have too big of a problem with that call … Simply put, you’re never going to get that called in that spot.
On a last-second Hail Mary, you can pretty much get away with anything short of murder … The players know it. The coaches know it. The refs know it.
Having said all of this, the level of officiating across the league has never been worse.
How does the NFL fix this MAJOR problem???