How Did Referees Miss Obvious Penalty Against Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte?!
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson might have negated it’s importance, but there’s no denying the Baltimore Ravens benefited from an obvious missed call at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night.
Facing first-and-10 from the New England 44-yard line with three minutes left, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey took Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to the ground on a deep ball from quarterback Drake Maye. Boutte, who was able to make a play on the ball despite Humphrey’s arms around his waist, ultimately couldn’t secure the catch and it fell incomplete.
At the time, as the Patriots trailed by a field goal, it was a pivotal moment.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay confirmed it should have been pass interference on Humphrey.
“It’s not really hard,” McAulay told NBC broadcasters Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth. “That’s pass interference. That’s obvious pass interference. That’s not a hard question at all.”
Many others agreed.
Fortunately for the Patriots, the brutal missed call didn’t come back to haunt them.
A few plays later, Maye hit Stefon Diggs for a 21-yard gain on fourth and-2. Stevenson then scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown a few plays later, which helped New England pull out a 28-24 victory.