What in the world? NFL referee Brad Rogers and his crew spiked a critical New Orleans Saints possession to open the second half of their game against the Dallas Cowboys with a bogus foul for a blindside block on tight end Garrett Griffin, wiping out a first down version and moving the Saints offense back from their own 21 yard line to their own 10, facing a first down with 21 yards to go. They punted three plays later.
The reaction was immediate and furious: Griffin and his opponent, defensive back Jayron Kearse, were eye to eye with each other as he initiated the block and shoved Kearse to the ground to protect his quarterback. And that turned out to be a game-changing decision with Cowboys running back Tony Pollard scampering 58 yards for a touchdown run.
Sean Payton was still barking at Rogers and the other officials minutes later while fans crowding the Caesars Superdome chanted with gusto at the bad call. And responses on social media echoed the sentiment: