Ravens vs. Texans and the pass interference debate

The Baltimore Ravens got away with a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Now there is a lot to talk about despite it being a blowout win for the Ravens:

Marlon Humphrey absolutely committed pass interference on DeAndre Hopkins, a fact that looks more obvious after seeing it multiple times. The result of the play was the Texans were stopped on a fourth down attempt instead of getting the ball on the one yard line. It was a big moment in the game, at the time. It ended up being inconsequential because the Ravens were winning that game convincingly one way or the other.

The NFL has put themselves in a bad spot with pass interference challenges. They almost never get overturned which makes these challenges a waste of time, something to go through the motions of, with an almost predetermined outcome.

The precedent set so far this season would have given the Ravens reason to be outraged if it was changed to defensive pass interference. Hopkins and the Texans are rightfully upset by the fact that the wrong call was not only made, but it was stuck with. There was no good outcome in that moment. Anger was headed the way of the officials and the league, no matter what the result of the challenge was.

The rule that allows teams to challenge pass interference either needs to be scrapped or the league has to get better at overturning obviously wrong decisions by the officials. If the point of almost always sticking to the call on the field is to protect and backup the officiating crew, the NFL is in the wrong. If the league is this bad at determining pass interference they have the wrong people in charge of making the decision.

The positive side of this is that it wasn’t a call that decided the outcome of the game. The call happened when it was a tight game, where both teams were feeling each other out. The Ravens ended up demolishing the Texans. If the Texans had scored on that drive, it’s not like the outcome of this game would be much different.

The reason this rule was implemented was because of the no call in the playoffs between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints. Not having this rule, gave the Rams a chance to go to the Super Bowl and it unfairly ended the Saints season. At this point we don’t know what the competition committee will do moving forward. The only thing we know is that the can of worms has been opened and the NFL has to figure some things out.

Hopkins is not wrong. It matters. It just isn’t what prevented the Texans from winning. The Ravens dominated the game.