Blandino: Refs incorrectly handled key end-zone call at end of Lions-Seahawks
— -- Seattle once again may have received another Monday night break from the officials in the same end zone where the infamous "Fail Mary'' took place.
Kam Chancellor punched the ball free from Lions receiver Calvin Johnson at the 1-yard line when it appeared the Detroit Lions were going to take the lead, and the Seattle Seahawks held on for a 13-10 win on Monday night.
But NFL head of officials Dean Blandino confirmed the Lions actually should have gotten the fumbled ball back at the half-yard line on the play since the ball was intentionally batted out of the end zone by Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright.
Blandino, speaking to Monday Night Football after the game, said Wright should have been called for an illegal bat for hitting the ball out of the end zone. The penalty would have given the ball back to Detroit at the Seattle 1.
But no flags were thrown and on the ensuing possession, Russell Wilson found Jermaine Kearse for 50 yards on third down. With Detroit out of timeouts, the Seahawks (2-2) ran off the final seconds of their second straight win.
Blandino said the batted ball part of the play is not reviewable, even though the play resulted in a turnover.
"The back judge was on the play and in his judgment he didn't feel it was an overt act so he didn't throw the flag,'' Blandino said. "In looking at the replays it looked like a bat so the enforcement would be basically we would go back to the spot of the fumble and Detroit would keep the football.''
Lions coach Jim Caldwell shrugged off the controversy in his postgame news conference, deferring to league officials.
"I'm not going to even go there. Talk to the Blandino and the rest of the guys, they'll explain," Caldwell said.
The latest NFL rulebook is pretty simple on what constitutes a penalty for illegally batting the ball out of the end zone:
Blandino said he has not spoken to anyone from the Lions.
"I have spoken to the referee (Tony Corrente)," he said. "He did not see that part of the play because that is not his area. The back judge (Greg Wilson) felt is was not an intentional act, that it was inadvertent."
With Detroit on the verge of capping a 91-yard drive with the go-ahead touchdown with less than 2 minutes remaining, Chancellor came from the side and punched the ball from Johnson's arm as he was being tackled by Earl Thomas. The ball bounded into the end zone and Wright batted it over the back line for a touchback and Seattle's ball at the 20.
The ball bounded into the end zone where it was guided over the back line by K.J. Wright for a touchback and Seattle's ball at the 20.
Wright could have been called for illegal touching for hitting the ball out of the end zone, which would have given the ball back to Detroit. But no flags were thrown and on the ensuing possession, Russell Wilson found Jermaine Kearse for 50 yards on third down. With Detroit out of timeouts, the Seahawks (2-2) ran off the final seconds of their second straight win.
"We can't change it now,'' Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "It is what it is. We won and we're going to move on.''
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admitted the Seahawks got a break, saying it was a unique situation, but "we were fortunate."
