Not one call, not two calls, not three calls, but four bad calls led to the Seattle Seahawks’ 14-12 upset win over the Green Bay Packers.
None bigger than Russell Wilson’s desperation heave that the Packers’ (1-2) M.D. Jennings seemingly intercepted but was ruled a simultaneous catch and touchdown by the Seahawks’ (2-1) wide receiver Golden Tate.
What It Means: For Packers fans, this is a heartbreaker. The only silver lining that can be taken from this game is that the Packers could potentially be the sacrificial lamb in getting the real refs back to the field. Also don’t underestimate Packers’ nation from doing something to put pressure on the NFL as one of the league’s most popular teams. Other than the bad call at the end of the game, Green Bay was also on the wrong side of three other calls (pass interference on Sam Shields, personal foul on Erik Walden and missed offensive pass interference on Tate) which kept the Seahawks alive in the second half. I would like to talk about the actual play on the field, but it’s impossible. Keep your heads up Packers fans.
Player of the Game: TE Tom Crabtree
Didn’t do much on the field, but posted this tweet after the game:
@TCrabtree83: 13th man beat us tonight.
Crabtree wasn’t alone in venting his frustrations on Twitter. Click here for expletive laced reactions from other Packer players.
Stat of the Game (24): The number of total penalties called in the game between the Packers and Seahawks. Those 24 calls resulted in 245 penalty yardage. At times, the game-play was completely disjointed and an obvious variation from the NFL product everyone has come to love.
What’s Next: The good news is that the Packers return home to take on the 0-3 New Orleans Saints who have an inability to stop anyone on defense. Green Bay hasn’t been their usual-selves offensively, but that could be attributed to playing three of the better defense in the league.
What did you think of what happened in Seattle? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice and pretend to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Pictures courtesy of Packers.com