Toward the end of Sunday night’s game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, cornerback Carrington Valentine appeared to jump on the back of Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling with the ball in the air at the 10-yard line, but no flag was thrown. And the referees are explaining why.
It appeared to be a pretty horrible missed call in a crucial moment at the end of a one-score game, but the referees are standing by their decision.
After the game, referee Brad Allen explained that the referees didn’t see contact that “materially restricts the receiver” during the play in question.
"That's gotta be a foul. That's gotta be a foul!"- Cris Collinsworth
"This is a foul… This is defensive pass interference."- Terry McAulay #SNF 🏈📺🎙️🦓 pic.twitter.com/WvsAIU7JXT
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 4, 2023
“As you may know, on ever play where there may or may not be pass interference, either offensive or defensive, the covering official has to rule whether contact materially restricts the receiver,” Allen told pool reporter Calvin Watkins according to Pro Football Talk. “And in this case, the covering officials were in good position and ruled that there was no material restriction that rose to the level of defensive pass interference.”
It’s not exactly surprising to hear the officials defend their decision after the game, but it’s safe to say that this explanation won’t please many people who saw the play as clear pass interference.
