Down by three points and with the potential to get into field goal range with just minutes left in the game, Drew Brees had a chance to turn the tide in an otherwise even game. The 2018 National Football Conference Championship Game ended in controversy after the referees missed blatant helmet-to-helmet and pass interference calls on a Los Angeles Rams defender. The Saints’ season was over, and the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl just be defeated by the Patriots.
This unfortunate mishap spawned attention toward referees’ calls in NFL games that should have existed a long time ago. More importantly, the play led the NFL to change its rules on pass-interference.
Prior to the 2019 season, pass-interference no-calls could not be challenged by coaches. A change to the rules now allows coaches to challenge missed calls. While the coaches of many teams have used the new rule, Detroit Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia has used it more sparingly.
In an Oct. 14 game versus the Green Bay Packers, the Lions felt the wrath of a missed call near the end of the game that ended up being the deciding factor in a close Packers win.
When asked why Patricia didn’t use the challenge, he referred to a similar situation he was in earlier in the season. Patricia commented that his decision came from two challenges on similar plays, both of which officials turned down. He felt that keeping the challenge flag in his pocket would save it for better use. But he was wrong.
When Kenny Golladay, a receiver for the Lions, was asked about the pass interference no-calls, said that the team can’t leave it up to the officials to make the right decision on the field.
“They make bad calls all the time,” Golladay said. “We gotta go out there and pretty much just make the play.”
Out of 81 defensive pass interference calls so far this season, 21 have been challenged using the new rule. One of those challenges has passed. This lack of success on challenges has led coaches around the league to be more reluctant when throwing the challenge flag.
There can be countless explanations for why officiating NFL games has gotten so out of hand. One of the commonly-cited problems with NFL referees is that they are the lowest paid officials of all major league sports.
According to Money.com, NFL referees make an average of $205,000. While that number seems respectable for a job that only takes six months of the year, it is much smaller than what the referees of other sports make. Referees in the NBA make an average of $350,000 a year, while MLB umpires make an average of around $300,000, and those in the NHL make an average of $250,000 a year.
The NFL is the most viewed sport in America, and brings in far more revenue than any of its counterparts. There is no reason for their refs to make so much less than other sports.
Another issue that often arises in the NFL bad-call conversation is the constantly-changing rule book. With constant changes to aspects of the game such as pass interference, roughing the passer, and excessive-celebration, refs and players arguably have a hard time keeping up with every minute detail that the suits of the league decide will make the game better.
In a league that is increasingly defined by strict regulations, I find it hard to believe that viewers would rather see more flags on the field than less.
One simple solution to many of the leagues’ woes was proposed by an angry Lions fan after their loss to the Packers: “Let the boys play.”
