The Washington Commanders were involved in one of the most controversial officiating calls of Week 9. Rookie defensive end K.J. Henry sacked New England QB Mac Jones, but the sack was overturned, and Henry was flagged for a 15-yard penalty.
It was a horrendous call that gave the Patriots a free three points. Fortunately, it didn’t cost the Commanders the game.
Afterward, FOX Sports rules analyst and former NFL director of officiating Dean Blandino weighed in and said the officials got it wrong. It should not have been called a penalty.
One week later, the Commanders were again on the wrong end of a bad officiating decision.
Rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes hit Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett in the first quarter. It was quickly flagged. Replays show that while the hit wasn’t dirty, Forbes did lead with his head. That was the correct call.
However, the officials went a step further; after convening, they ejected the 170-pound Forbes from the game. It was a terrible decision.
On Monday, Blandino weighed in. He again agreed the officials got it wrong. While Blandino agreed that Forbes should have been flagged for the hit, he should not have been disqualified from the game.
“There’s no question this was a foul,” Blandino said via The 33rd Team. He then went on to explain the rule and how Lockett was a defenseless receiver.
But, Blandino believes the officials erred in removing Forbes from the game.
Blandino explained that when he worked for the NFL, ejections usually came when players fought, and punches were thrown, etc. Officials tried to stay away from punishing players for something that happened during a football play unless it was flagrant or egregious.
Blandino believes that players shouldn’t be disqualified if it’s a bang-bang play and they don’t have time to react or they are making a play on the ball. That was certainly the case with Forbes on Sunday.
Now, on Forbes, Blandino explains why it was the wrong call.
“To me, I didn’t think this was a disqualification,” Blandino stated. “Forbes was covering Kenneth Walker, and then as Lockett comes across the formation, he had to quickly shift his focus as the ball was in the air. I thought it was a bang-bang play. Lockett dropped the ball, so it’s tough to say whether he was trying to dislodge the ball, but both feet were on the ground, there was no launch, and Lockett’s level did change. So, to me, it’s not a disqualification.”
There you have it. Another terrible decision by NFL officiating. And to make matters worse, Forbes will still likely be fined, even after he was wrongly removed from the game.
