Oct 15, 2019 - Sports

Packers-Lions finish spotlights the NFL's officiating crisis

Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Mason Crosby drilled a 23-yard FG as time expired to lead the Packers past the Lions, 23-22, on "Monday Night Football."

The state of play: Green Bay benefited from some questionable officiating, most notably 2 fourth-quarter penalties for illegal hands to the face against Detroit's Trey Flowers. Poor officiating is a part of every sport, but since this was on national TV and featured some particularly egregious calls, the outrage is louder than usual.

What they're saying: ESPN's Booger McFarland was ripping the refs from the booth, and that same frustration was prevalent around the league ...

  • Rams LB Clay Matthews: "The storyline for the 2019 season continues to be the refs inability to make the accurate and correct calls week in and week out. [NFL SVP of officating] Al Riveron continues to blindly side with his refs and the current status quo. Something must change! Zero accountability."
  • Bears CB Eddie Jackson: "These calls cost them the game I really can't believe what I just watched...smh."

A potential solution: This offseason, some coaches wanted to add a "Sky Judge" to the officiating crew — someone who could call down and fix calls that were obviously wrong.

  • But the NFL "didn't think it was feasible to give someone that kind of authority," ESPN's Kevin Seifert tweeted. "Might be worth a re-visit."

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