Ravens cry foul over noncall on final play of loss to Chiefs

[Hammock Parties]

BITTER RATBIRDS

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/...209-story.html

As Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III dropped back to pass on what proved to be the final play of Sunday’s game, the odds were not good.

The Ravens were down a field goal in overtime. Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson was out with an ankle injury. Under two minutes remained. The team faced a fourth-and-22 from its 41-yard line. According to ESPN, the Kansas City Chiefs’ win probability was over 79 percent.

But after the pass fell incomplete and the 27-24 overtime loss was sealed, the Ravens were unhappy the game hadn’t lasted at least a play longer. Coach John Harbaugh, wide receiver Willie Snead IV and Griffin said the officials missed a pass-interference penalty on Chiefs cornerback and Baltimore native Kendall Fuller.

The penalty would’ve produced an automatic Ravens first down and kept alive their hopes for a game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown.

“Yeah, I saw it,” Harbaugh said. “I think you guys should write what you see. You want us to get up here and criticize the officiating. You saw the officiating all day. You know what it was. You should write what you see. You don’t get fined for it, right?” (Coaches are subject to NFL fines for criticism of the officiating.)

Griffin said he didn’t have a chance to warm up before entering the game facing a third-and-22. His first throw was an incompletion, and after Jackson did not return to the huddle, the team’s third-string quarterback dropped back one final time.

He targeted Snead, running an out-breaking route close to the line to gain. “I was like, ‘I got a chance here,’ ” Snead recalled thinking. Had he made a sixth catch Sunday, the reception might have come up just short of the 37-yard line he needed to reach.

But he said he felt premature contact from Fuller, and Griffin saw the same.

“I mean, of course I did,” said Snead, who had a team-high 61 yards. “I thought that. At the end of the day, it’s out of my control. I got to catch the ball, but I felt like I would’ve been short anyways, but at the end of the day, there was contact. But it is what it is. You just got to learn from it and move on.”

He added: “There were calls we could’ve got all over the game, but at the end of the day, it came down to that play. I didn’t get the call. At the end of the day, I didn’t get the catch.”

Griffin, who said he hadn’t been able to watch a replay of the coverage, blamed himself for not throwing a better pass. But he pointed to the Ravens’ indignant sideline reaction as a reflection of his own perception of the noncall.

“I felt like Willie ran a great route and the DB got there a little early, and they didn't call it,” Griffin said. “It makes me feel a little bad. I feel like I let the team down in that situation. I was ready to go and I tried to do the best I could at that time. Just wish I could've done more."

[bobbything]

We could play this game all day with the Ravens. We did it against LA.

Hill was held, blatantly, on the first drive of the game. He would have been wide open. Mahomes overthrows. No flag. We punt.

Mahomes, in the first half, was the victim of the new “roughing the passer rule” on two different occasions, when the defender drove him into the ground and landed on him with his full body weight. No flags.

Kelce made a nice catch and was grabbed by the face mask on the way down. No flag.

There are more that are slipping my mind. I’m sure I’ll think of them. Instead, I’ll just cackle at the visual of Harbaugh pissing and moaning after EVERY SINGLE FLAG.

[mlyonsd]

The play easily could have been called either way at game speed. I held my breath when it happened because as a Chief fan I expected it to be called.

[bobbything]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Teicher ranting this morning it was DPI. I thought it was close but Fuller appeared to be playing the ball. I have seen less called against us and worse not called for us, including the first drive of the game when Hill was held and it wasn't called.

Teicher has never said one single positive thing in his life without being coaxed into doing so. He’s one of the most negative people on the planet.

[jjjayb]

It wasn't as bad a no call as the no call on the obvious hold on Hill in the first half that completely turned him around.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Lol ok.

It was a clear push off which is the definition of OPI. Just because they don’t always call it doesn’t change that.

You wanna argue that they don’t always call it? Fine, but you’re a moron if you say it isn’t OPI according to the rule.

It was not a clear push off. Stop making shit up.

[bobbything]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

It was not a clear push off. Stop making shit up.

Uh, sure it was. He extended his arm and pushed off. It’s pretty obvious. I mean, it was kind of ticky tack but it was a push off. Typically they let it go but to say he didn’t extent his arm and push off is disingenuous.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

It was not a clear push off. Stop making shit up.

Did you even watch the ****ing play?



I guess all of us are imagining the push off we could clearly see on the replay. ****ing moron.

[Direckshun]

I think it was a penalty, but I don't think it was gross enough to warrant a flag, really.

[Imon Yourside]

That was really ticky tacky borderline bitching about not getting a call, If that was us I wouldn't have complained beyond the first minute at the shock of losing the game. Really wasn't much there at all.

[arrwheader]

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

This.

Maybe they should have stopped the Chiefs in those two fourth down plays instead of blaming a non-penalty that wasn’t called. Losers.

Yea lets also forget about the fact that the play shouldn't have even happened anyway. The Chiefs gifted them so many opportunities to stay in the game. Missed FG's, missed ints, stupid play calls and bad coaching decisions.

After all that they still lost **** them.

[King_Chief_Fan]

Ok..it was DPI....stuff doesn't get called a lot in the NFL.
Shrug and move on....I would say same if it happened to Chiefs...(which it does a lot)

[WhiteWhale]

Remember that sketchy 'block in the back' that ended a drive for KC?

One hand in front, the other touched the back and he didn't actually redirect the player in any way.

The call on Crabtree was far closer to an actual penalty than that was. IF anything that needs to be called more often. I've seen multiple times this year where a WR pushes off and they flag the DB for... being pushed off on. That's normal in today's NFL, and given how DB's are policed it's complete bullshit how often WR's get away with it.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

When you slow it down, it looks like potential DPI. But in real speed, it just looks like Fuller times it perfectly and made a great play. Honestly.

[PAChiefsGuy]

Crybabies. They had a chance to win the game several times and blew it.

[Buckweath]

There were quite a few questionable bad calls non-calls.

Fuller could certainly have been called for DPI on that last play but what helped him IMO is the fact that he was really playing the ball when the ball arrived. Anyways, you see that type of contact not being called all the time.

It will be called at times, quite simply.


As for the Crabtree OPI, anytime that you make that movement of extending your arm towards a defender, I don't care if you actually pushed the defender or not, you can get called for that and you cannot complain. Just don't extend your arm towards a defender and you won't have no problem.