Steely McBeam
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- Mar 20, 2019
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The NFL’s decision to add pass interference to the list of calls that can be changed with instant replay was a response to the Saints getting hosed with a non-call in the NFC Championship Game. But the league office that oversees officiating is pointing out today that there was another big pass interference call in New Orleans last season, one that went the Saints’ way.
That was the call against Steelers cornerback Joe Haden against the Saints in the regular season. On that play, Haden was flagged in the end zone on fourth-and-1, even though replays showed that the contact was minimal. Today NFL Operations tweeted a video of that play, as an example of how much a pass interference call can change a game.
“In reviewing game winning chance data, the committee found that offensive & defensive pass interference have disproportionately large impacts on changes to each team’s game winning chance. For example, this foul in the 2018 Saints-Steelers game increased NO’s win chances by 14%,” NFL Operations tweeted.
There were actually three questionable pass interference calls that went the Saints’ way in that game. There was that one on Haden, another one on Haden on which the ball appeared to be tipped at the line of scrimmage, and a non-call of offensive pass interference on the Saints’ winning touchdown. That week, the Saints were lucky that pass interference was not reviewable.