News
Clete Blakeman’s crew correctly didn’t flag Commanders final play
No holding, illegal blocks, or pass interference on the Hail Mary
It is the sensational play of the season, and it’s been hotly debated in one city on the losing end and on national media.
Was the play legal, or should the officials have nullified the touchdown?
One former official with knowledge of the grading said the play was clean and no flags for holding nor an illegal blindside block should have been thrown. The NFL declined to comment, citing the longstanding rule that grading is confidential.
Referee Clete Blakeman and umpire Scott Campbell had primary keys for holding and other blocking fouls; down judge Dana McKenzie and line judge Julian Mapp held the line of scrimmage for any potential issues there; and field judge Karina Tovar, side judge James Coleman, and back judge Jonah Monroe were responsible for the routes and catch portion of the play.
The possibility of a missed offensive holding call (or two) surfaced on the NBC Sunday night pregame show Football Night in America, where Chris Simms insisted there was “blatant” holding.
Chicago sports talk obviously elevated the discussion of uncalled fouls, but naturally theirs is not going to be the most objective analysis. However, this was amplified by Simms and Mike Florio on PFT Live during the week, suggesting that the officials were incompetent and looked the other way intentionally.
Since there was no public comment on the no-calls, we can go a step further and say the grading on the play is genuine, and not influenced to fit any narrative. There was no foul to be called on this play unquestionably.
On the 1st & 25 podcast, the Football Zebras staff dissected the entire play from end to end. Are there different standards for fouls on Hail Mary plays? Is there a certain amount that a player can get away with that they can’t on another play? We look into all of these claims in our roundtable discussion.
The 1st & 25 podcast drops a new episode every Tuesday and is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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Anonymous
October 31, 2024 at 1:03 pm
The blocks on 95 Chicago (off the shoulder) around the 30 yard line and the block on 99 Chicago (pad to pad) near the 40 are the only two that were even a stretch to being illegal, but they weren’t. On the back end, it was a legal catch on a deflection. Good job by the whole crew in that game, and yes, I saw the whole play, frame by frame.