The NFL made a major change for the 2019 season by allowing coaches to challenge pass interference plays, but that may not matter if horrific calls like the one we saw in Thursday night’s game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins are not overturned.
Washington wide receiver Kelvin Harmon tried to make a play on an underthrown ball in the fourth quarter, and he was somehow called for offensive pass interference despite clearly playing the ball. If anything, a penalty should have been called on the defense. Joe Theismann’s reaction during the TV broadcast said it all.
We are all DOOMED!!
1. Possibly the worst offensive pass interference call in history.
2. Theismann‘s reaction is
“WHAT???!!!”
3. Jay Gruden challenges it.
4. The call was upheld and the ruling on the field stands (??) pic.twitter.com/ZAuU5Ccuwf
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 16, 2019
Bad calls happen, but the disturbing part about this one is that it was challenged by Washington head coach Jay Gruden and upheld. That is not a good sign.
The standard for overturning a pass interference call will be that there has to be clear and obvious evidence that the wrong call was made, and it seems like that was as clear and obvious as it gets. Unlike a previous pass interference challenge we saw this preseason that could have gone either way, the call on Harmon was flat-out wrong. If pass interference calls like that are going to be upheld, they might as well do away with being able to challenge them.
