Source: League admits two missed calls in Dolphins game originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The NFL admitted officials made a couple of mistakes in the Bears’ Week 9 loss to the Dolphins, according to a team source. After the game, the Bears sent plays into the league office for review, as they do after every game. Those plays include some where they believed the refs missed a call, and plays where they believe refs made the right call. But two decisions in particular caught the attention of everyone watching the shootout between Justin Fields and Tua Tagovailoa: a defensive pass interference called against Eddie Jackson in the fourth quarter, and the decision not to throw a flag on Keion Crossen for interfering with Chase Claypool on a deep ball a few minutes later.
The Bears heard back from the league on those two plays, and according to a source, the league admitted a mistake was made on each. DPI should not have been called on Jackson, and a DPI should have been called on Crossen.
“Play the ball, try to turn into a receiver, as we’re taught as DBs,” Jackson said after the game about the play when he was flagged. “So as I’m playing the ball, I’m thinking I’m there and I feel the guy hit me, so it’s like I don't know what they’re calling. I thought it was offensive PI, then the ref called it on me. So I turned to him and said, ‘Yo, how is that a flag?’ He said he didn’t see me playing the ball.
“I don’t know what to say. You’re a referee, you’re right on the side, I don’t know how you didn’t see me play the ball. Replay will show you, I didn’t look at the receiver once the whole time. I was playing the ball the whole way in the air, so it’s like, it’s crazy.”
After the game, Claypool said he thought for sure he was going to draw a flag on his deep shot, given that Jackson had been penalized for less contact just a few minutes prior.
“Justin threw me a good ball to give me a chance, then I felt like I was pulled back a little bit,” Claypool said. “Still gotta try to fight through that and get that, because you can’t count on someone else. Can only count on myself.”
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On Monday, Matt Eberflus had his players’ backs.
“Obviously the whole stadium saw the tug and all that before the ball came in there (on the Claypool deep ball), so that’s what our opinion is,” Eberflus said. “But again, it was their opinion and they [didn’t throw] the flag… We thought it should’ve been a flag. And that’s the way it is.
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“Eddie played that really nice,” Eberflus said about the play where Jackson was penalized. “I thought he had a good — I can’t really coach him up any better than that, because he turned back for the ball, he’s got a right to play the ball, and he did play ball. And it was their opinion that that was defensive pass interference and they called it. Again, that’s their opinion.”
On Wednesday, Jackson didn’t take much solace from the news that he had been vindicated in the league’s eyes.
“Nothing happens,” Jackson said. “I’m not banging a fist because we’re all human, it’s hard to see stuff, whatever, but some stuff and some calls it’s night and day.
“Everyone kind of figured they were going to say that, but we still lost. Nothing changes.”
What Jackson does want to change is increased accountability for officials who make big mistakes in big moments, just like players can be held accountable for mistakes they make after games.
“Say I hit a guy on my helmetー and I’m not doing it on purposeー and the refs miss it. They can turn that in, and they’ll still put a fine letter in my locker a few days later… We play a game where we have to make a split decision in a few seconds. Like if I grab a guy’s facemask, and I’m running to the ball and he cuts back, I’m trying to make a tackle and wrap and I grab his facemask by mistake, I’m getting fined for it. I’m not doing that on purpose but I’ve got accountability for it.”
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