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NFL officials often come under the microscope late in the season in pivotal games that can affect playoff scenarios and in games that are on prime time TV under the lights. Such was the case Sunday night in Green Bay. With the Packers fighting for their playoff lives and the Chiefs fighting for the top seed in the AFC, there was a ton on the line, and that meant that any error(s) by the officiating crew were going to be magnified. The three most egregious bad calls of the contest came on the final drive of the game, as the Chiefs had the ball – trailing 27-19.
The first of the calls to come under intense scrutiny was a dubious late hit call that penalized the Packers for 15-yards for unnecessary roughness. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was scrambling to his right and headed towards the sideline. That’s when safety Jonathan Owens hit Mahomes near the sideline, just as the quarterbacks was going out of bounds. But replays appeared to show that Owens made initial contact while Mahomes was still in bounds. Nonetheless the refs gave Mahomes and the Chiefs a very beneficial late game call.
Best part was the official who threw the flag was six miles away yet was so sure of himself. pic.twitter.com/JU7YTpaP5Q
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) December 4, 2023
Just two plays later, a questionable no call would go against the Chiefs. Packers defender Carrington Valentine appeared to make substantial contact with Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling, before the ball from Mahomes go to his receiver. In fact, Valentine was all over the back of Valdes-Scantling, but the officials let the contact go, without throwing a flag. Was that one of those make-up calls from the previous phantom late hit call that benefited the Chiefs. Who knows? But clearly replays showed that a flag for defensive pass-interference should have been called.
How was this not called pass interference?? #KCvsGB pic.twitter.com/DtvCyqhkjV
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 4, 2023
A final questionable call on the Chiefs final drive came on a hail marry throw into the end zone by Mahomes. As is usual for hail marry plays, particularly at the end of the game, there was a lot of pushing and shoving going on, but it appeared that a more deliberate shove to the back of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce could have and perhaps should have been called as defensive pass-interference. That hail marry came on a 4th & 10, with just 5 seconds to go in the game, and would have placed the ball at the one yard line, giving the Chiefs one more untimed down. But the officials chose not to throw the flag.
refs were egregiously bad against both teams at the end
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 4, 2023
but is there just a totally different rulebook on Hail Mary’s that the refs use on that play?
because otherwise… pic.twitter.com/TZ9NvSq9rm
There were several other very questionable calls that occurred late in the game and there is little doubt that the league cannot be too thrilled about the way this game was officiated; especially considering the exposure this game received.
