A seemingly obvious fumble was ruled an incompletion and may have been the difference in Sunday’s Steelers-Packers game. While many rules analysts have said that the referees got it wrong, Dean Blandino is seemingly going against the grain.
The play in question saw Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett seemingly throw a pass backwards with the ball being recovered by the Packers. But while most fans agree that it should have been a fumble, officials ruled it an incomplete pass both before and after a booth review.
In a recent video for The 33rd Team, the NFL Officiating Expert admitted that he was “surprised” that the initial ruling of an incomplete pass stood after a review.
“I know a lot of people were surprised; I was surprised that the ruling on the field stood,” Blandino said.
“You look at where Pickett is, you look at where he releases the pass, you look at where the ball ends up. If that point where it was touched by Warren is behind or even parallel to where it was released, that is a backward pass.”
Joining @BruceMurrayNFL and @kirkmorrison on @SiriusXMNFL today at 1 pm ET to discuss NFL officiating from Week 10.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) November 14, 2023
NFL fans have ripped CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore for agreeing with the officials.
Dean Blandino is likely going to get far better treatment.