NFL OFFICIATING UNDER FIRE

NO-CALL VS. RAMS IS LATEST CONTROVERSY IN 2018-19

This will likely go down as the worst officiated championship weekend ever. But if you are a fan of chaos and pure insane entertainment it was incredible.

Missed calls can be an occasional byproduct of the NFL's officiating system, but rarely is a decision as significant or game-changing as the one the officials stumbled on late in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the most controversial calls of the season, highlighted by a pair in the game that sent the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: RAMS 26, SAINTS 23

MISSED DEFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE

The moment drawing the most attention from Sunday's game is the missed defensive pass interference call on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman. On a third-and-10 with 1:49 left in the game, Robey-Coleman initiated contact with Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived. The play also could have been called as a helmet-to-helmet hit against a defenseless receiver. Minutes after the game, Saints coach Sean Payton said the NFL league office called him to admit the mistake. It would’ve given New Orleans a new set of downs and plenty of time to burn clock – with the Rams only having one timeout remaining – and potentially kick a short game-winning field goal. Instead, New Orleans kicked a field goal to take a lead, but L.A. had enough time to march down the field and tie the game with their own field goal.

MISSED FACEMASK

In the drive prior to the Robey-Coleman no-call, officials also missed a face mask call against the Saints on a second-and-5 with 6:49 left in the game when Rams quarterback Jared Goff scrambled outside the pocket and was tackled by Alex Okafor. The penalty would’ve given Los Angeles a first down and a chance to milk some more time off the clock. Given the field position, the Rams could have scored a touchdown that would have given them a four-point lead, which would have changed the dynamic of the following drive.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: PATRIOTS 37, CHIEFS 31

ENFORCED ROUGHING THE PASSER CALL

Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones barely grazed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady when trying to swipe at him, but officials called a roughing-the-passer on a play that resulted in an incomplete pass that would’ve brought up a third-and-7. Kansas City held a four-point lead with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter at the time of the flag. The Patriots scored a touchdown nine plays later and went on to win in overtime.

WEEK 16: SAINTS 31, STEELERS 28

TWO DEFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE CALLS

Both of the penalties in question came against cornerback Joe Haden on fourth downs and proved to be crucial calls. The first came in the first quarter with 3:10 left in the period, when Drew Brees fired a pass deep down the field to Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who was in the end zone. Kamara jumped up and sold the contact, as Haden placed his hands on Kamara’s back but didn’t appear to push him very much at all. The penalty resulted in a 33-yard gain for New Orleans, which scored on the next play from 1 yard out to take a 7-3 lead.

The other call against Haden was in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-2 with two minutes left. Going against receiver Michael Thomas, Haden appeared to make minimal contact, but the ball appeared to be tipped near the line of scrimmage, which should have negated any pass interference call. Making matters worse, five plays later, Thomas appeared to slightly push off on Haden for the game-winning touchdown grab. Pittsburgh ended up missing the playoffs after not getting the help it needed to sneak into the postseason in the final week.

WEEK 14: COWBOYS 29, EAGLES 23

NO CLEAR FUMBLE RECOVERY

On the opening kickoff of a pivotal NFC East matchup, the Eagles appeared to have a key takeaway when safety Malcolm Jenkins jarred the ball loose from Jourdan Lewis’ hands during the return. Video seemed to show that a swarm of Eagles fell on the ball, with linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill the one to emerge from the pile with the ball. Officials ruled that Lewis was down by contact, but a review resulted in officials saying there was a fumble but no clear recovery by the Eagles. The Cowboys punted after a three-and-out, but the Eagles could have started off on a better note.

WEEK 13: CHARGERS 33, STEELERS 30

MISSED FALSE START

Officials didn't catch a false start against Los Angeles right tackle Sam Tevi, who jumped early late in the first quarter. On that play, quarterback Philip Rivers found receiver Travis Benjamin, who streaked away with a 46-yard touchdown. Pittsburgh squandered a 16-point second-half lead, but the miss still loomed large.

WEEK 13: COWBOYS 13, SAINTS 10

NO-CALL ON HELMET-TO-HELMET HIT

In Dallas' close victory, a third-and-17 dumpoff to Kamara with 9:59 to play resulted in an 8-yard gain. But even though replays showed Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith levied a helmet-to-helmet hit on Kamara, officials didn’t throw a flag despite ordering the all-purpose threat to be checked for a concussion. The flag would have put New Orleans, which was down just three points, close to field goal range with a fresh set of downs.

WEEK 6: CHARGERS 38, BROWNS 14

MISSED FALSE START

On a 29-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to receiver Tyrell Williams in the second quarter, it was clear that Los Angeles left tackle Russell Okung had moved early into his pass protection. Down judge Hugo Cruz was subsequently fired, becoming the first official of the Super Bowl era to be dismissed in the middle of the season.

WEEK 4: RAIDERS 45, BROWNS 42

OVERTURNED SPOT

With Cleveland holding an eight-point lead with 1:41 left in the game, then-Browns running back Carlos Hyde appeared to have a first down on a third-and-2 carry. Officials measured the spot and ruled that Hyde had earned the first down. But a replay review overturned the spot, even though the images appeared to show that Hyde had reached the point necessary to move the chains. The new set of downs almost certainly would’ve ensured Cleveland enough time to secure the victory. Instead, the Browns punted, and quarterback Derek Carr led a comeback inside the final minute and Oakland eventually kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime.

ERRANT WHISTLE

In the fourth quarter, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and outside linebacker Genard Avery shared a sack on Carr, but the ball squirted out and Cleveland had a clear recovery. The problem was that the official didn’t see the fumble and blew his whistle, so the play was ruled dead and the fumble was never registered.