NFL admits two missed interference calls in Seahawks-Chiefs
RENTON, Wash. — Vice president of officiating Dean Blandino informed Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on Thursday that Bill Leavy's crew should have called pass interference against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith for shoving receiver Doug Baldwin off his bid to catch a 2-yard touchdown pass with 6:33 left in Seattle's 24-20 loss last Sunday.
Carroll told USA TODAY Sports Thursday the league admitted to a pair of blown pass interference calls, including one against receiver Jermaine Kearse. But the costly one proved to be Smith's shove of Baldwin.
"The interpretation was it definitely played a factor in (Baldwin's) route and it should have been called," Carroll said. "There's nothing you can do about it. You just have to live with it. That's just part of the game."
Baldwin was clearly knocked off his corner fade route as he tracked quarterback Russell Wilson's throw from the Kansas City 2-yard line towards the back of the end zone.
Though the Seahawks had two more possessions, they never got close to scoring again.
"Pete just came up to me today and told me the NFL came back and said, 'It should have been a penalty,' " Baldwin said. "Pete said, 'It's unfortunate. We move ahead. And we're not worried about it.' "
Baldwin complained after the game that he was the victim of Smith's push.
"Obviously, on the play, I was extremely upset because I knew it was a PI," Baldwin said. "I'm tracking the ball. Then all of a sudden, I get shoved from behind."
It wasn't incidental contact as Baldwin had no chance to catch Wilson's pass after getting pushed to the right as Wilson's fade fell incomplete in front of the pylon at the back left side of the end zone.
Ironically, holding and illegal use of hands by defensive players in pass coverage became points of emphasis by the league's competition committee this season with the crackdown driven by the physical play of the 2013 Seahawks "Legion of Boom" secondary that helped Seattle force a league-best 39 takeaways last season.
By rule, pass interference is any act that significantly hinders an eligible player's ability to catch a pass.
"I was upset after the game. And now I've just let it go," said Baldwin, who leads the Seahawks with 44 receptions for 485 yards and two touchdowns.
"The refs are human, too. We all make mistakes."
NFL admits two missed interference calls in Seahawks-Chiefs
