Amidst a dull Monday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, controversy over a bad officiating call once again reared its head.
With the Giants down 6-3 with less than a minute left in the first half, Sterling Shepard was flagged for an offensive pass interference that negated a deep ball to Kenny Golladay on a crucial third down. On the play, Shepard collided with Trevon Diggs while coming off of his route, an impact which injured the Cowboys’ cornerback (though he returned for the second half).
Instead of a massive third down pickup into Cowboys territory, the Giants shuffled back 10 yards on a drive that ultimately failed due to the call on Shepard.
offensive pass interference on Sterling Shepard ?? pic.twitter.com/Y6DKtALcy4
— Ted Buddwell 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) September 27, 2022
It makes sense that the NFL took a hit to the head seriously, but that’s a tough one right there to call. It’s hard to say if Shepard fully realized Diggs was about to run into him before the hit, but the wide receiver did leave his feet on the play for no real reason.
NFL fans were completely mixed on the momentum-stalling call on Twitter.