Getty The officials did not call pass interference against the Rams.
The Seattle Seahawks fell to 5-9 on the season on Tuesday, December 21, after losing 20-10 to the Los Angeles Rams. The team had an opportunity to tie late, but a missed pass interference call sealed the loss and led to outraged comments from the fanbase.
The play occurred late in the fourth quarter. Russell Wilson threw a pass down the sideline intended for DeeJay Dallas on fourth-and-six, but rookie linebacker Ernest Jones arrived early and made contact with the Seahawks running back. The ball fell incomplete, but the referees did not call pass interference. The Rams took over on downs while Dallas committed a penalty of his own.
Screwed. 100%
Clearly frustrated, the running back walked over and kicked the football while pleading his case. The referees called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Dallas and assessed a penalty that moved the Rams even closer to field goal range. The home team kicked the game-sealing field goal and moved to 10 wins on the season while the broadcasters discussed the missed calls and the fans expressed outrage.
“The fix was in the moment the [NFL] rescheduled this game to allow the Rams to get healthy. Two embarrassingly bad, game-altering calls that the refs completely f***** up,” one person tweeted during the game. Others weighed in and expressed the opinion that the referees continue to determine games with bad decisions.
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A Super Bowl Champion Expressed Displeasure
Oh man that’s brutal
The Seahawks fans were not the only people voicing their displeasure with the missed pass interference call on Tuesday, December 21. Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy also weighed in and provided his thoughts about the call that decided the game.
“I’m sorry but the deep officiating in the Seattle Rams game has been horrendous,” Dungy tweeted. “Big game changing calls on holding and pass interference that have not even been close to being right. Hard to imagine officials being that far off.”
Dungy continued and disagreed with the assessment that the league had purposely fixed the game to get the Rams the 10th win of the year. Instead, he stated that there were terrible calls on both sides of the field. He also noted that there were some bad calls in the game between the Vikings and Bears on Monday, December 20.
“I’m not bellyaching about that call,” head coach Pete Carroll said after the loss to the Rams. “We didn’t make all the other plays we needed to make to win the game.” Though the coach noted that the play “didn’t look good” on the replay.
2 Other Penalties Played a Role in the Loss
The shorthanded Seahawks played far from a perfect game. The defense gave up two touchdowns to Cooper Kupp. Rashaad Penny committed a false start that took the team from third-and-one to third-and-six. Wilson missed a throw to DK Metcalf that would have been a touchdown. Instead, Jalen Ramsey broke it up and forced a punt.
These mistakes played a role in the Seahawks’ loss, as did some early penalties that prompted further conversation. The first was a roughing the punter penalty on Alton Robinson after he hit Johnny Hekker’s leg. The penalty didn’t lead to a first down, but it moved the Rams into field goal range for the first three points of the game.
“Punter Hollywood acting, falling down as Seahawks’ Alton Robinson walks by him,” tweeted Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. “5-yard penalty means Rams going for the long field goal now of 55 yards.” The longtime beat writer continued and compared Hekker’s spin to victims of the tornado from “The Wizard of Oz.”
The second penalty took place near the end of the first quarter. Matthew Stafford threw a pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr., but the referees called pass interference on backup cornerback Bless Austin. This penalty put the Rams in enemy territory instead of forcing them to punt.
The Seahawks avoided giving up more points after the pass interference. Stafford threw a pass in the direction of Kupp, but Quandre Diggs intercepted it for his fifth pick of the season. This play ended the Rams drive and put Wilson and the offense back on the field.
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