Washington Commanders fans were incredulous at the non-call to end their 20-12 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. Current quarterback Taylor Heinicke didn't get the benefit of the call, which outraged former franchise QBs in Robert Griffin II and Joe Theismann.
Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes was draped all over Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel, yet inexplicably the referees held onto their flags.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay says refs missed a DPI on Curtis Samuel:
“This is defensive pass interference … it’s always a foul and should have been called.” pic.twitter.com/8teYF6UBxd
— Josh Hill (@jdavhill) December 19, 2022
Former NFL MVP Joe Theismann was direct to the point in his take on the matter, calling it point blank: Pass interference.
Pass interference
— Joe Theismann (@Theismann7) December 19, 2022
Robert Griffin III was much more fired up about the blown call, turning his caps lock on to call out the officiating that left the Commander out to dry.
THIS IS PASS INTERFERENCE pic.twitter.com/2G34aqzHFk
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 19, 2022
RG3 even followed it up with a “caption this” request on a still showing Darnay Holmes all over Curtis Samuel.
Caption This… pic.twitter.com/PKysEST35S
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 19, 2022
With the Commanders in the midst of a hotly contested playoff race – with the Giants as one of their biggest threats to secure a spot – taking the loss in that manner stings quite a bit more than your run of the mill regular season defeat.
A win over the Giants would have raised their chances of making it exponentially. Taking the loss dropped them to 7-6-1 with the Seattle Seahawks and the red-hot Detroit Lions breathing down their necks.
They have a tall task ahead of them in Week 16 as they take on a San Francisco 49ers side that's won seven straight games. Having some cushion with a win in Week 15 would have been huge going up against a stacked Niners side.