At least one NFL head coach is unhappy with the state of officiating in the league and wants owners to step up to the plate. In a text message shared by Pro Football Talk, a current coach called for owners to “act on officiating.”
Text from current NFL head coach: “Time for owners to act on officiating.”
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 4, 2023
Officiating has been a hot topic throughout the current NFL season, and the game between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night only added fuel to the fire. The Packers pulled out a 27-19 victory over the Chiefs, but the end of the game featured multiple questionable calls that left some fans scratching their heads.
For one, there was a penalty called for unnecessary roughness against the Packers for a hit on Patrick Mahomes that appeared to be a clean play as it occurred while the quarterback was still in bounds.
Packers got hit with an unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting Mahomes while he was still inbounds #KCvsGB pic.twitter.com/qDJdxjNSFM
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) December 4, 2023
There were also multiple plays in the final minute where it looked like pass interference occurred but wasn’t called. The first play came when Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine clearly jumped on the back of Kansas City wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling while the ball was in the air headed in their direction.
How was this not called pass interference?? #KCvsGB pic.twitter.com/DtvCyqhkjV
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 4, 2023
The second came on the final play of the game, as Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was seemingly pushed by a Green Bay defender while the ball was in the air on a Hail Mary toss. No penalty was called.
refs were egregiously bad against both teams at the end of the
but is there just a totally different rulebook on Hail Mary’s that the refs use on that play?
because otherwise… pic.twitter.com/sivH5zRUNo
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 4, 2023
Having numerous questionable calls down the stretch of a prime-time game isn’t a great look for the NFL’s officials. At least the calls, or lack thereof, negatively impacted both teams as opposed to just one, but it’s still an area that the league may need to look at, as consistency needs to be established. Many folks feel that players and coaches prepare too hard on a weekly basis for the outcome of a contest to ultimately be in the hands of officials.
After the game between the Chiefs and Packers, ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick also called for the referees to be held accountable.
These refs have to be held accountable in some way. Those are two of the worst calls in a critical moment that I may have seen in a long long time.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) December 4, 2023
It’s unlikely that any major changes will be made midseason, but it will be very interesting to see what the league does to address the concerns over the offseason.
