The Carolina Panthers defeated the New England Patriots 24-20 on Monday night football in Charlotte, NC. The Patriots had a chance to win the game, getting the ball back with 59 seconds remaining and 3 time outs. They drove down to the Panthers’ 17-yard line with 3 seconds remaining. On their last play, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady threw a pass into the end zone to tight end Rob Gronkowski, but it was intercepted by Panthers’ safety Robert Lester. However, a referee threw a penalty flag on the play.
There was a conversation between the referees after the play, then the flag was picked up and the game was declared over. When a replay was shown of the play, Gronkowski was clearly interfered with by Panthers’ linebacker Luke Kuechly, behind where the interception was made. No explanation was given by the referees why the flag was thrown, and/or why it was picked up. No review was made on the play either. Nothing ruins a game for me more than a referee deciding it.
On ESPN, every broadcaster I heard during and after the game, thought a penalty did occur, except a former referee, who said that the ball was uncatchable by Gronkowski, because the interception was made in front of him. So, if he wasn’t interfered with and driven to the back of the end zone, he couldn’t have come back to the ball and attempted to make the catch? Ridiculous. The only time I ever saw a pass interference flag picked up because the ball was uncatchable, is when it goes well out of bounds, or it flies way over the receiver’s head. But we don’t know why the flag was picked up, because the cowardly refs left the field without any explanation.
If the correct call was made, the Patriots would have the ball on the 1-yard line, with one play left, because the game can’t end on a defensive penalty. New England could have scored and won the game, or Carolina may have stopped them, but we’ll never know, thanks to the refs. Last year, the “Fail Mary” horrible call in Seattle, against the Seahawks, cost the Green Bay Packers a first round bye, and a #2 seed in the playoffs. It remains to be seen how much this game could cost the Patriots.
Just before the Patriots had their last drive of the game, the Panthers had taken the lead on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Cam Newton to wide receiver Ted Ginn. That 13-play 83 yard drive, was a nearly perfect response to the Patriots taking their first lead of the game in their previous drive. Carolina took 5:33 off the clock, and left New England with only 59 seconds remaining. Newton finished the game passing for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns on 19 of 28 throws.
Both teams are now 7-3. The Patriots still lead the American Football Conference (AFC) East by 2 games over the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The Panthers trail the New Orleans Saints by 1 game in the National Football Conference (NFC) South, and will play the Saints twice in their remaining 6 games. Carolina is now the top-seeded wild card in the NFC.
The National Football League (NFL) needs to seriously consider taking away as much power from the referees as possible. The last play of this game should have been reviewed, and an explanation for their decision should have definitely been given. Also, anything should be reviewable at any time. If a coach wants to challenge anything, he should be able to, especially in the last 2 minutes of each half. The fact that challenges are only in the hands of the referees at those times is absurd. I know their job is difficult, and everyone makes mistakes, and that’s more reason that their power should be as little as possible, so the chances of bad calls determining games is minimal.
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