Oct 15, 2019 - Sports

Packers-Lions finish spotlights the NFL's officiating crisis

Kendall Baker

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."

Go deeper: An 18-game NFL season might be unavoidable

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Packers-Lions finish spotlights the NFL's officiating crisis

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