Games sometimes come down to one play, one call. It happened a couple times Sunday.
A,J. Green appeared to catch a game-winning TD pass from Joe Burrow. Flag. Offensive pass interference and the Bengals lose when Randy Bullock injures himself on a game-tying field goal attempt.
Then, on “Sunday Night Football,” Jalen Ramsey’s theatrics get the same call on Michael Gallup after a 47-yard catch late in the Rams’ win over the Cowboys.
First, one has to look at how Mike McCarthy put Dallas in a position to lose. He went for it on fourth-and-3 with 12 minutes left, passing up a chip-shot for Greg Zuerlein.
“Clearly we were in field goal range and it was a 3-point game,” McCarthy said. “The conservative play there is to kick the field goal.
“But I felt really good about how we were moving the football.”
With all the talent Dallas has, the pass went to rookie CeeDee Lamb, who came up short.
That eventually led to the Gallup-Ramsey play, which was disputed after LA’s 20-17 victory over Dallas Sunday as SoFi Stadium opened..
"Offensive pass interference" pic.twitter.com/oxIK6yIKzz
— Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) September 14, 2020
“He extended his full arm so it was clear as day. If they didn’t call that I would have been highly upset,” Ramsey said. “That was clear as day in my opinion. I don’t know what y’all saw, but that’s what I saw and felt out there.”
Referee Tony Corrente defended the call.
Referee Tony Corrente on the offensive pass interference call at the end of #DALvsLAR: pic.twitter.com/YUpP78w1UA
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) September 14, 2020
An “air-flop’ by Ramsey sold the PI. Horrific call.
The Cowboys were robbed. pic.twitter.com/0ohXknRg8L
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) September 14, 2020
The call was made. Your call? OPI or did Ramsey, a tremendous DB, get the benefit of a soft flag?