Big changes are taking place in the NFL, and some view them as reactionary rather than preventative.
On Tuesday at the NFL Owners meeting, owners voted to approve a rule change that will now make pass interference reviewable by officials. The rule change comes in wake of the missed call during the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints — a call that likely changed the outcome of the game.
On a smaller scale, however, the rule change would also have potentially changed the outcome of a regular season game for the Washington Redskins.
On November 18th — the same game where QB Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury — a pass interference call was missed late in the 4th quarter, potentially robing the Redskins of a comeback victory. Washington ended up losing 23-21, and they ended up finishing the rest of the season with a 1-6 record.
Had the new rule been in place, Redskins coach Jay Gruden would have been able to throw the challenge flag, and a penalty would have been called. Washington would have been moved into easy field goal range, and likely picked up a victory.
“We had a couple calls that we seemed were blatant that weren’t called this year that cost us games that, you know, changes our season quite a bit if we get those calls,” Gruden said, via Redskins.com. “You just want to be right, I think the competition committee is approaching it the right way.”
The new rule change will be in effect for the 2019 season, but owners will revisit after one year and decide whether it should be kept in place going forward.
