Getty Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered a message after a critical replay review helped lead to a loss against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Seattle Seahawks unexpectedly found themselves in a dogfight with the Las Vegas Raiders at home during Week 12. A great catch from DK Metcalf, though, moved the Seahawks close to midfield with just about a minute remaining in regulation and the game tied.
The Seahawks appeared to be driving for the potential game-winning field goal. But then something else unexpectedly happened — in replay review, officials overturned Metcalf’s catch, which was a gain of 12 yards. With the overturn, the Seahawks moved back to their own 35-yard line to face third-and-10. A sack on third down then forced Seattle to punt.
The Seahawks had one more possession, in overtime, after Metcalf’s reversed catch, but Seattle didn’t gain another first down. The Raiders went on to win, 40-34.
It was a difficult way for the Seahawks to lose, but quarterback Geno Smith didn’t place any blame on the officials for overturning Metcalf’s key catch.
“That was one play in a game of many plays,” Smith told the media after the Week 12 matchup. “I could have gave him a better pass. Like I said, being a thumb pointer, those are the things that I can correct. Nobody’s perfect. You can watch across the league, every quarterback is going to make some mistakes. I just got to be better in some aspects and put it all on me.
“Put it on me. I’ll be better.”
Review Took Several Minutes For Call
It took unusually long to review Metcalf’s 12-yard reception with about a minute to go in regulation. Typically, a long review signifies to the NFL that the play is too close to overturn, and with that conclusion, the call on the field usually stands.
However, that’s not what happened in this situation.
“Explanation wasn’t that the ball hit the ground but that Metcalf didn’t control it as he rolled out of bounds,” ESPN’s Brady Henderson tweeted.
DK Metcalf’s catch is overturned upon review. Explanation wasn’t that the ball hit the ground but that Metcalf didn’t control it as he rolled out of bounds.
It took several minutes for even the CBS broadcasting team, along with rules expert Gene Steratore, to come to that conclusion. The broadcast crew and officials on the field all called it a catch upon first and even second review of the play.
“Both of the guys on the side, the refs on the side, they saw it as a clean catch,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said during his postgame press conference. “I didn’t see the replay. I understand they were talking about the ball got moved after he slid out of bounds. You got to survive the ground. That’s what they’re trying to determine there. They were clear it was a catch on the side, so they were surprised it got turned.”
Missed Opportunity in Overtime
The overturned Metcalf catch helped take the Seahawks-Raiders matchup into overtime. Seattle then had another golden opportunity to win after the unfortunate overturn.
Las Vegas missed a 56-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime. Due to the long miss, Seattle started the next drive at its own 46-yard line.
The Seahawks only needed roughly 15 yards to reach the fringe of Jason Myers’ field-goal range, and any score for Seattle would have clinched the win.
But after gaining 5 yards on first down, the Seahawks didn’t move the ball at all on the next two plays. Despite golden field position, Seattle barely crossed into Las Vegas territory and had to punt.
On the first play of the next Raiders drive, Josh Jacobs ran for a 86-yard score.
The overturned Metcalf catch at the end of regulation was critical, but as Smith said, a game isn’t defined by one play. Seattle wasted its terrific chance to win in overtime.