It’s certainly not uncommon for officials to miss big calls in crucial moments – they’re human and many of the penalty decisions are judgment calls or hard decisions. But it doesn’t make them any less controversial. And one notable NFL rules analyst pointed out a critical mistake during Sunday afternoon’s New York Jets and Detroit Lions game.
During the first half, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson threw a pass to Jets receiver Jeff Smith in the end zone, but it fell incomplete after contact from Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah. However, as prominent NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore of CBS Sports points out, this probably should have been pass interference.
Hand-fighting and some contact to the receiver doesn't always rise to the level of a foul. In this case in #DETvsNYJ, the contact was early and it significantly restricted the receiver's ability to make a play on the ball.
IMO this warranted a flag for pass interference. pic.twitter.com/vqP9GnNAYV
— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 18, 2022
“Hand-fighting and some contact to the receiver doesn’t always rise to the level of a foul. In this case in #DETvsNYJ, the contact was early and it significantly restricted the receiver’s ability to make a play on the ball. IMO this warranted a flag for pass interference,” Gene Steratore said in a Tweet.
If the officials had thrown a flag on the play, as Steratore thinks that they should have, it would have given the New York Jets a first down with a chance to score a touchdown. Instead, the team had to settle for a field goal in the red zone.
