FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots deserved to lose Sunday’s game to the Seattle Seahawks, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t screwed over.
Patriots corner Jonathan Jones was called for a pivotal defensive pass interference on Tyler Lockett during Seattle’s game-winning drive in overtime. The call appeared bogus upon multiple viewings, and Lockett himself apparently believes the referees shouldn’t have thrown a flag.
Did Referees Make Wrong Call on Jonathan Jones Penalty?
Here’s the best video we could find of the penalty:
🚨WORST CALL OF THE WEEK🚨
The #NFL refs called this defensive pass interference on the #Patriots, though the defender clearly looked back and did everything right.
😳😳😳
THE REFS HAVE COMPLETELY BOTCHED THE GAME FOR NEW ENGLAND
pic.twitter.com/fgySJTmHMB— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 15, 2024
The play began with the Seahawks facing a first-and-10 from their 31-yard line. After the penalty, Seattle took over at New England’s 49-yard line. Six plays later, Jason Myers kicked a game-winning 31-yard field goal.
Obviously, the Patriots had multiple chances to stop the Seahawks after Jones’ penalty. But the call appeared to deflate a tiring defense while putting more momentum behind Seattle’s offense.
The Patriots have no excuses after losing Sunday’s game. They were in full control before allowing the Seahawks to block a late Joey Slye field goal that could’ve put the game away.
Still, the Jones penalty was a bad call, and everyone knows it.
Patriots Players Call Out Referees After Tyler Lockett Admits to Wrong Call
During a postgame scrum inside the locker room, Jones said that Lockett told him after the play his coverage “wasn’t a penalty.”
“Straight up, that was what he told me,” Jones told reporters. “It sucks. I kind of feel like that was the play of the game, you know what I mean? But I’ll go back, watch it on film … see if there’s something I could have did better and take it from there.”
Safety Kyle Dugger also had an issue with the call.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
“I’m not going to bash the refs,” Dugger said. “I know there was a lot of physicality going on from (the Seahawks), as well as ourselves. It definitely wasn’t a call in the right direction. I feel like they were both battling, and they kind of just chose the defensive guy.”
Safety Jabrill Peppers added: “We can’t leave it up to officials. We’ve got to make plays. We had countless opportunities to get off the field, and we just didn’t execute.”
The Patriots have no time to hang their heads or complain about the officials. They’ll visit the New York Jets on Thursday night for a primetime AFC East matchup.