Fans of the Washington Commanders were shocked by the non-call to conclude their Sunday 20–12 loss to the New York Giants. Former franchise quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Robert Griffin II were furious that current quarterback Taylor Heinicke didn’t receive the benefit of the call.
Curtis Samuel, a Commanders wide receiver, was completely covered by Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes, yet the officials hung onto their flags.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay says refs missed a DPI on Curtis Samuel:
This is defensive pass interference it s always a foul and should have been called. pic.twitter.com/8teYF6UBxd
— Josh Hill (@jdavhill) December 19, 2022
Joe Theismann, a former NFL MVP, was succinct and to the point in his analysis, stating plainly: pass interference.
Pass interference
— Joe Theismann (@Theismann7) December 19, 2022
When the call was blown, Robert Griffin III became considerably more enraged and activated his caps lock to denounce the officials who left the Commander hanging.
THIS IS PASS INTERFERENCE pic.twitter.com/2G34aqzHFk
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 19, 2022
Even after that, RG3 asked viewers to “caption this” a still of Darnay Holmes slapping Curtis Samuel.
Caption This pic.twitter.com/PKysEST35S
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 19, 2022
Taking the loss in that way hurts far more than your typical regular season loss since the Commanders are involved in a tight playoff battle and the Giants are one of their biggest threats to securing a position.
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They would have had a much better chance of succeeding if they had defeated the Giants. Losing lowered them to 7-6-1 and put the Seattle Seahawks and the fiery Detroit Lions on their tails.
In Week 16, they face the San Francisco 49ers, a team that has won seven straight games, and they have a difficult assignment ahead of them. Going up against a loaded Niners team in Week 15 and having some breathing room with a win would have been crucial.
