Alex Kemp made a controversial decision when he awarded the Green Bay Packers a touchdown in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.
Kemp ruled that Packers receiver Romeo Doubs caught a touchdown after he and Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain came down with the ball in the end zone.
After the game, Surtain said he thought he had it secured for a turnover, and CBS rules expert Gene Steratore said Surtain should have been awarded an interception after he controlled the ball with two feet down.
Broncos coach Sean Payton agreed with that sentiment, saying the call should have gone in Surtain’s favor.
Unreal this from both Romeo Doubs and Pat Surtain II pic.twitter.com/1UqWwTzdok
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) October 22, 2023
“When you have two [hands] on it in the end zone, your feet down, I think we’re going to see that was something maybe that should have been called the other way,” Payton said after the game. “We kind of all grow up with the idea of tie goes to [the receiver] and who wrestles it out of the arms, but if you have two clean hands on it when you land in the end zone — I was a little surprised [by the call].”
Ultimately, the only opinion that mattered was that of the official calling the game, and Kemp ruled that Doubs possessed the ball for a catch and scored. Fortunately, that decision did not end up costing Denver the game.
