‘I think it will be revisited,’ Andy Reid says of pass interference challenge rule
One of the NFL’s biggest mystery plays reared its head Sunday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 40-9 win over the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.
Not what is a catch, which continues to draw occasional scrutiny.
But the elusive pass interference penalty that continues to befuddle coach-initiated challenges and the eyes of fans.
During the Chiefs’ opening offensive possession in the first quarter, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a deep pass to wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who had a step on Raiders safety Lamarcus Joyner.
Joyner made up for the lost ground by appearing to interfere with Watkins’ ability to make the catch, but the officials on the field did not throw a penalty flag. The home crowd let out a disapproving roar, which grew even louder when the play was shown on the stadium video boards.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid then threw the challenge flag, which can be done this season because of the new rule allowing coaches to challenge called or uncalled pass interference.
And while the play was under review, the CBS broadcast booth, which included former NFL quarterback Tony Romo and former NFL referee Gene Steratore, provided their opinions on the no-call.
“I’m guessing they’re going to get the call,” Romo said of the Chiefs’ challenge.
Steratore followed with in-depth take on what happened.
“In my opinion, that left arm is on the left back shoulder pad of that receiver and turns him briefly,” Steratore said of Joyner’s coverage on Watkins. “And then you have a right arm that kind of restricts his other arm from coming up. There definitely is some activity there.”
Apparently not enough action, though, as Reid’s challenge proved futile.
Head referee John Hussey announced minutes later that the play was upheld and the ruling of on the field was confirmed. The Chiefs were then charged a timeout for the lost challenge.
Thankfully, the Chiefs’ drive didn’t stall after the play, as Mahomes found running back Darrel Williams for a 3-yard touchdown four plays later.
But that didn’t necessarily mean there wasn’t pass interference in the eyes of Chiefs players, including the intended target on the play.
“I don’t know, man,” Watkins said with a chuckle. “I feel like it should’ve been called, but those types of plays, I can’t really judge it. That’s what they get paid for, so I can’t really say too much about it.”
Rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who watched the play develop, provided an emphatic reaction on whether Joyner interfered with Watkins’ ability to make a catch.
“Definitely, easily,” Hardman said. “I mean, dude was holding him the whole way down the field.”
Reid provided a more subdued response during his postgame news conference when asked if he was surprised the play wasn’t reversed.
“Listen, I mean things happen,” Reid said. “Obviously, I challenged it because I thought we would have a chance, but it didn’t work out and we ended up getting the other one so I’m happy about that.”
The “other one” that the Chiefs head coach alluded to didn’t require a coach’s challenge and the risk of another lost timeout.
Instead, the officials ruled pass interference occurred when Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen prevented Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson from making a catch, then jumped in front of Robinson to make an interception in the end zone.
The play itself didn’t draw a flag on the field, but was discovered on video because every turnover is automatically reviewed in the booth.
So, while the officials took one away, they made up for it later.
“I feel like when they mess up, they got to give us another one, they got to equal it out,” Hardman said. “With D-Rob, they had to give it to him because they didn’t give us the other one. It’s cool. As long as it’s under control and not wild, it will be OK.”
But is everything really going well with a system that allows coaches the right to challenge called or uncalled defensive and offensive pass interference?
It was just two weeks ago, entering Week 11, that statistics provided by the NFL showed a large disparity between success and failure in challenging pass interference from the first 10 weeks of regular-season action.
At that point, there were 65 reviewed pass interference plays around the league. Coaches initiated challenges on 54 through Week 10, resulting in just five overturned calls in their favor.
The rule change came about as a result of what occurred in January 2019 during the NFC Championship game, where an egregious defensive pass interference no-call contributed to the New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Saints coach Sean Payton, a member of the NFL’s competition committee, took the forefront to effect change during the offseason with a proposal to make pass interference challengeable and reviewable. The league approved it for the 2019 season at the annual owners’ meeting in late March.
While it seemed like a good idea at the time, the change has only provided more confusion on defining pass interference.
Even Payton hasn’t been immune, as what appeared to be a clear infraction on the field in Week 12 didn’t work in the Saints’ favor and cost the team a timeout after a lost challenge.
A day after the game, Payton suggested the use of a three-member panel to help with the review process.
Reid, though, said Monday that he wanted to talk to Payton first before commenting on whether bringing in extra eyes would provide more consistency on calls.
“I’d have to talk to Sean to see where he’s coming from,” Reid said. “I don’t know exactly the direction he’s talking, so I’m not going to answer that. I can just tell you that however they look at it, they’re going to evaluate it.”
To Reid’s last point, he’s certain based on his 21 seasons as a head coach that the NFL will use the offseason to review how challenging called or uncalled pass interference infractions worked out.
“I think it will be revisited,” said Reid, who is now 0-3 on challenging pass interference this season. “The league does that; they try to perfect everything.
“Painstakingly, they’ll go over everything. That’s what the competition committee does. That’s why it’s there. This will be a topic, I’m sure. It’s new. I mean, my experience with it is that — that’s how the league does it and we’ll see.”
Reid’s stance echoed the opinion of Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, who said on Nov. 13 that he was sure the pass interference rule “is something that will be discussed at the end of the season.”
Whether the NFL elects to continue allowing coaches the right to challenge pass interference in 2020 and beyond remains to be seen.
Watkins was non-committal on if the league should continue with the rule to allow coach challenges and leaving the call or no-calls in the officials’ hands.
“I think they’re going to do what they want to do at the end of the day,” Watkins said. “It’s not for the player to judge or to say if they’re wrong or right. I feel like they have a job to do, so the pressure is more on them than us. I just let them do their job and keep playing, having fun. We got the win and that’s all that matters.”
Robinson, though, didn’t hide his feelings on the pass interference rule change for the 2019 season.
“Man, we might as well take it out if they aren’t going to call it,” Robinson said. “I mean, how do you see it and it’s blatant, and you still don’t call it? I don’t know. That’s why I just play the game. You just got to keep playing, keep going to the next play.”
