John Wolford of Rams gets a header

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A historic drop in penalty flags helped lessen the focus on NFL offices in 2020. So did the abolition of the repeat interference repeat review. But the arrival of postseason football has elevated the examination of all questionable calls, rule interpretations and review.

Do not you worry. We are here for you. What follows is a real-time breakdown of the calls to which you shook your head, shouted at the TV, or got confused during the round of wildcards. The most recent works are at the top.

The smoke from Rams RB Cam Akers was reversed

Rams-Seahawks wildcard game, 46 seconds remaining in the first half

What happened: Officials decided that Seahawks defensive end Carlos Dunlap took the ball out of Akers after a 3-yard run. The recovery was attributed to Seahawks cornerback Ryan Neal, who gave Seattle the ball on the Rams ’26-yard line.

How it was resolved: The call was reversed when reviewing playback. The NFL ruled that Akers could not contact him before it was damaged, and the Rams retained possession.

Analysis: Eventually, the league got the game right, but like several other calls we’ve seen over the wildcard weekend, it was hard to believe NFL officials would consider this play a mess. Akers was on the back, with the ball well tucked in his arm, when Dunlap tried to strip the ball for the first time. At least one official initially ruled out Akers, but it was overturned. It is always possible for views to be blocked, and sometimes, if in doubt, officials rule on a billing to ensure that it can be properly assigned in playback through automatic review.

But in this case, the reproduction could have revised the work independently because there were less than two minutes left. It was the kind of decision that erodes confidence in the overall competition of the company.

Officials take the flag to the head of Rams QB

Rams-Seahawks wild card game, 5:40 remaining in the first quarter

What happened: As Rams quarterback John Wolford sank to the ground after a two-yard run, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams lowered his right shoulder and hit Wolford in the head. Officials initially threw a flag at Adams. Wolford left the game and was replaced by Jared Goff.

How it was resolved: Referee John Hussey announced that there would be no penalty because Wolford was considered a runner and therefore not subject to the protections normally offered at quarterbacks.

Analysis: It is true that Wolford would not get quarterback protection in this play, but the original flag still deserved it. According to the NFL rulebook, it is still an unnecessary lack of toughness, because Wolford was diving to the ground and giving himself up like that. This means that he is classified as a defenseless player and that his opponents are prohibited from forcibly hitting the head or neck area of ​​these players. It was the second year in a row that the Seahawks had eliminated a starting quarterback in a playoff game with a blow to the head. In this case, Jadeveon Clowney’s success against Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was considered incidental and not forced. Wolford, meanwhile, has been taken to hospital for precautionary measures, according to a Rams spokesman.

How come this wasn’t a mess for the Colts?

Colts-Bills wildcard game, 50 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter

What happened: On the fourth and 10th of the Colts ’final possession of the game, receiver Zach Pascal received the 17-yard credit and fell to the Bills’ 46-yard line. Pascal got up and gossiped, something recovered by the Bills in what would have been a game play. Field officials, however, decided that Pascal had fallen by contact after initially falling.

How it was resolved: Bills coach Sean McDermott called time-out as the Colts rushed to the line of scrimmage, but couldn’t challenge because they had less than 2 minutes left to finish the game. During the waiting time, NFL senior vice president Al Riveron reviewed the call. It was not immediately clear if his review stopped the game or if it was McDermott’s downtime. Regardless, referee Brad Allen announced that the call would be left without further explanation.

Analysis: He He told the NFL on Twitter that there was no clear and obvious evidence available to set aside the sentence, and that no community report was requested from Buffalo to explain further. Because the replays seemed to confirm that Pascal did not get in touch before he got up and was not down when he lost possession of the ball. We’ll update this post if the NFL or Riveron offer more explanations. But according to all the evidence available at the time, the Bills should have been possessed. If the Colts tied again or won the game (the Bills would win 27-24), that decision would have been heavily scrutinized.

The clock is running out of bounds

Colts-Bills wildcard game, 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter

What happened: The game clock continued to work after Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. went out of bounds.

How it was resolved: The clock was not stopped.

Analysis: This play caused a great stir on social media, but it was a proper administration of the game. It is not the same to lie outside the limits as a player who goes outside the limits. According to the NFL rulebook: “If a player or a backhand pass from any player goes out of bounds, the game clock starts on the referee’s signal that a ball has returned to the field of play.”

Accredited invoices with two side captures

Colts-Bills wildcard game, less than 2 minutes, second quarter

What happened: Invoice receiver Gabriel Davis was assigned side receptions of 37 and 19 yards. In both cases, frame-by-frame repeats showed that he might not have lowered both feet to the limits.

How it was resolved: With less than 2 minutes left, the NFL replay official instituted reviews of the two plays. In both cases, umpire Brad Allen only announced that the original call was in effect. Allen did not explain why there was an official hat on the ground when Davis made the first capture; often this means that a player or players has run out of limits and is no longer an eligible receiver.

Analysis: You could make a frame-by-frame judgment that Davis ’left foot touched the white part of the sideline after the first catch. The same goes for the second reception, where he might not have completely executed any foot drag before leaving the boundaries. But the NFL’s playing system requires a much higher standard than it could. It should be “clear and obvious,” preferably in live speed action, that Davis had gone out of bounds before gaining possession. If the resolution on the ground were incomplete, the review system would probably have confirmed it as well.

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