It should come as no surprise, given the state of officiating in the NFL today. that there was a blown call in a crucially important game. The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans are playing for control of the AFC South, but referee Clay Martin and his crew are calling this like a backyard Thanksgiving 7-on-7 in which half the participants are oiled up on tryptophan.
With 11:57 left in the third quarter, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw an “interception” to Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. This would be a legitimate interception only if you completely ignore safety Jalen Pitre mugging tight end Evan Engram… which is exactly what Martin and his crew did.
Unforgivable no call. There has to be accountability for missed calls like this. #Jaguars #Jags pic.twitter.com/JoAhD29xZT
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) November 26, 2023
The Jaguars had a 13-7 lead at that point, but the Texans took that ill-gotten opportunity to score their second touchdown of the day on a C.J. Stroud scramble.
On Jacksonville’s subsequent drive, which ended in a one-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to receiver Calvin Ridley, Martin’s crew called two pass interference penalties on the Texans.
So, we suppose the NFL’s mindset is, “We’re never going to get it right in real time; let’s just run a bunch of makeup calls and hope it evens out.”
