Bengals fans were pretty apoplectic after what appeared to be two instances of pass interference in their team’s second drive of the day. With 48 seconds left in the first quarter, Joe Burrow misfired to Tee Higgins in the end zone for what looked like at least defensive holding on defensive back Rashad Fenton…
This is not pass interference because our ref forgot that pass interference was a penalty. pic.twitter.com/Cz1NxOlALN
— NFL Officiating (@ratiodbybourne) January 30, 2022
and there was this aggressive coverage by Charvarius Ward of the Chiefs on Ja’Marr Chase.
On that last Bengals drive: Charvarius Ward with the PBU in the end-zone vs Ja'Marr Chase on 3rd down pic.twitter.com/x6tzrCb48Q
— ❌❌❌ (@FTB_Vids_YT) January 30, 2022
For better or worse, neither penalty was called, and given the crew chief in this game, that should not come as a surprise. The NFL puts together “all-star” crews for the playoffs, but you can roll with referee tendencies regardless, and in this case, defensive backs will be allowed to play their games all the way.
In the 2021 regular season, per NFLPenalties.com, referee Bill Vinovich called just four defensive holding penalties, tied with Brad Rogers’ crew for the league’s lowest. Brad Allen’s crew led the NFL with 15 such flags.
Pass interference is something you’re not going to see called a lot, either. Vinovich called just 12 pass interference penalties in the regular season, also the league’s lowest. Shawn Hochuli, no doubt as part of his commitment to constant face time, had the most DPI flags with 24.
It’s not ideal to have this much variance between referees and crews, but as long as both defenses are allowed to be similarly aggressive, it’s as fair as it’s going to be.