NFL admits several missed calls in Jaguars-Packers, per sources

ByAdam Schefter ESPN logo
Sunday, September 18, 2016

The NFL acknowledged a number of questionable calls that went against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, league sources told ESPN.

Of the 16 calls that the league recognized as going against the Jaguars, a key one was a missed defensive holding by Packers defensive back Micah Hyde against wide receiver Rashad Greene that would have given Jacksonville a first-and-goal from the Green Bay 9-yard line with under a minute left and a chance to win the game, the sources said. The Jaguars instead failed on the ensuing fourth-and-1 and lost 27-23.

The missed calls became a topic of discussion at an internal Jaguars meeting, sources said, with team officials believing that the referees missed at least four pass interference calls committed on wide receiver Allen Robinson, including potential penalties byDamarious Randall and Sam Shields.

Robinson took the high road in discussing the officiating after Sunday's game.

"It's not about the calls," Robinson said. "Blake [Bortles] gave me a ton of opportunities to make a play. I've got to make more plays. Seeing that that's how the game is being called, I've got to adjust my physicality to the game."

Wide receiver Marqise Lee, meanwhile, was more pointed in blaming the officiating.

"I don't know what the refs were looking at," Lee said. "We had some [penalties] we felt should have been called."

The competition committee used to regulate the number of complaints a team could make to the NFL, asking teams to keep it at 10 per game. But the Jaguars questioned significantly more, and the NFL agreed there were 16 calls that could have gone the other way.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.