With seconds left in the clock, often the most critical moments of any game, who can police the officials' actions if they make a mistake?
That will likely be one question for NFL owners to consider during their next Competition Committee meeting, the league's body which "reviews all competitive aspects of the game, including (but not limited to) playing rules, roster regulations, technology, game-day operations and player protection."
Reporter Luke Johnson spoke to referee Shawn Hochuli and had the following exchange regarding the clock stoppage in the final moments of the Washington Commanders' game against the New Orleans Saints.
"Question: At the end of the game, it was the third-to-last play, the Saints completed a pass short of the goal line and the clock kept running and it appeared that the clock stopped at nine seconds. I was wondering if you had an explanation for the stoppage?
"Hochuli: "The covering official mistakenly stopped the clock in that situation. The clock should not have stopped."
"Question: Was there any consideration of reviewing the stoppage? Was there anything that you could have done after the fact?
"Hochuli: "No, it is not a situation that is reviewable.
"Question: When were you all aware of the mistake?"Hochuli: "That's all I have for you, Luke. The covering official mistakenly stopped the clock at nine seconds and it is not reviewable."
Refs stopped the game clock for 4 seconds when it should have been running
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 15, 2024
freezes at :09 while play clock ticks from :39 to :35
game should have been over
how can they make a mistake like this pic.twitter.com/aWyIGWb9Hy
After Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler completed a pass to tight end Foster Moreau on the third-to-last play of the game, the pass-catcher was brought down at the Commanders' 1-yard line.
The play clock stopped momentarily in what could've been a disaster for the Commanders. Since Moreau was tackled in bounds, the clock should have continued.
New Orleans was able to spike the ball to stop the clock with three seconds left. However, the play clock paused for four seconds, allowing the Saints to run another play.
New Orleans scored a touchdown on the next play, bridging the scoring gap to 20-19. The Saints attempted a two-point conversion but failed. The Commanders kept the win but were a two-point conversion away from unfairly losing this game.
