NFL needs to fix their officiating problem and allow reviews on everything

It is getting harder and harder to think the NFL is anything but a joke these days. Officiating is horrendous and the NFL does nothing about it.

Every year it is the same thing. Great games that inevitably are decided by bad calls or no calls by the referees. Yet for all the problems that currently exist with the NFL officiating, they still fail to do the one thing that could change it all for the better. Allow them to be reviewed.

Human error has existed since the beginning of the NFL but these days the rules that are in place are so ambiguous that it is unclear if the NFL referees even know what exactly constitutes a penalty.

On Sunday nothing was more glaring than the pass interference that wasn’t called on the Los Angeles Rams late in the game. The interference was so obvious that everyone saw it. Hell my wife who has never watched a game in her life asked if they were allowed to hit receivers before th ball got there.

The missed call was not only obvious but it also changed the outcome of the game. On ProFootballTalk.com they are saying that the league may look into allowing teams to challenge pass interference calls. Most of those would be very hard to overturn, last nights wouldn’t be that hard. The thing is, the NFL needs to not simply look into it, they need to allow everything to be reviewed.

In Kansas City a called hit to the helmet of Tom Brady erased a 3rd and long incompletion and gave Brady a first down. The Patriots scored on the drive to take the lead late in the game. Had they punted the outcome could have been incredibly different. The hit? The defender never touched the helmet of Tom Brady. He didn’t even graze the face mask.

If the NFL wants its fans to believe they are doing whatever they can to improve the game then they need to open up the ability for teams to challenge bad calls. Whether it is a hold, an off-sides, a late hit, or a pass interference.

Teams have the ability to challenge certain plays but not all of them. Why not? Does the NFL not want a 100% fair game to be played on their field or would they rather have control to determine the outcome as they may see fit? It is not a baseless question.

Consider that many believe the NFL wants to maximize revenue by getting certain teams into positions that can ultimately draw viewership or sell tickets. Is it really happening? I have no idea but what harm comes from allowing teams the ability to challenge penalties?

If they had been able to this weekend, there is a very good chance that we would be seeing a Saints and Chiefs Super Bowl.