The NFL has come forward admitting that their officials made mistakes during the NFC Wild Card game between Detroit and New Orleans Saturday night.
According to ProFootballTalk.com, the league office made an admission in an email Sunday night saying two mistakes were made during a Drew Brees fumble in the second quarter.
First there was an inadvertent whistle that negated a Detroit touchdown with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter. This would have given the Lions a 20-7 lead.
The second mistake was made after the play when referee Tony Corrente gave the ball to the Lions after the whistle. By rule, the Saints should have kept the ball because the play was blown dead.
The league’s statement read in part: “Because the ruling on the field was a fumble, and the whistle came before the recovery, the play is dead because of the inadvertent whistle and the Saints should have retained possession of the ball. New Orleans would then have had the choice to put the ball in play at the spot where possession was lost or to replay the down. Inadvertent whistles are not reviewable.”
Ref: SportingNews, ProFootballTalk.com, Getty (image)