Sunday afternoon, the Houston Texans lost to the Baltimore Ravens in a 41-7 affair that was viewed as less than competitive. While the play of quarterback Lamar Jackson drew most of the attention, there was a controversial moment early in the game in which the referees did not call pass interference on a throw by Deshaun Watson. Receiver DeAndre Hopkins has since responded to this play and has made it clear that he is not happy with the NFL officiating.
Following Sunday’s loss, Hopkins retweeted a post by the SportsCenter account that showed him clearly being interfered with by Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey. This was not called as pass interference, but the Texans challenged under the new rules in hopes of getting the play overturned. Following replay review by a senior designated member of the officiating department, the call stayed the same.
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“As a leader in the NFL, we need someone new in New York deciding calls,” Hopkins wrote on Twitter while showing his frustration with the play.
As a leader in the NFL, we need someone new in New York deciding calls. https://t.co/szdHjWhKbR
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) November 17, 2019
Hopkins was not the only member of the Texans that was frustrated with this lack of a pass interference penalty. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien also responded following the game, saying “I have no idea what pass interference is anymore.”
Similarly, Watson also voiced his frustrations during his media availability. If the pass interference had been called, the Texans would have gotten the ball on the one-yard line with the opportunity to take the lead. Instead, the ball went back to the Ravens as part of a failed fourth-down conversion.
“I mean, everyone saw it,” Watson said, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “The guy wrapped him around, but they didn’t make that call. You got to live with it. You can’t really dwell on it. It definitely could have been a changing point of the game, a momentum switch.”
Ultimately, the Texans cannot change this call and will instead have to focus on the upcoming game against the rival Indianapolis Colts. These two AFC South teams will ace off on Thursday night, providing a very brief turnaround. Although they may not hear the last of this play.
In prior weeks, the league has fined players that have spoken out about the quality of officiating, or lack thereof. Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was fined for calling out the referees, as was Los Angeles Rams linebacker Clay Matthews.
There is a possibility that both Watson and Hopkins will receive FedEx envelopes from the league headquarters, informing them that they are being fined $12,500 for their comments. This is the amount the league has given out to those criticizing the officiating.
Photo Credit: Todd Olszewski/Getty
