Windy City Gridiron
The reason the Chicago Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings was one-sided, terrible officiating that was responsible for, at minimum, a seventeen-point swing in the game. I will go over the horrible, bad, extremely wrong, no-good calls in detail below. But first, let’s dispense with the preliminaries. Yes, complaining about the refs is a tale as old as time for the losing side. Yes, the Bears were bad on special teams. There were way too many pre-snap penalties on offense. Yes, Caleb was inconsistent and inaccurate. The defense opened the floodgates in the 4th quarter – failing to get pressure on JJ McCarthy. The offensive line allowed too much pressure up the middle.
Even with all of that, the Bears win the game – comfortably – if the refs had gotten even half of the calls they missed correct. The refs decided that football game. And not on 50/50, we can argue it one way or the other calls – clear, obvious, indisputably wrong calls. When we point at the refs, it feels like making excuses. But sometimes, it is absolutely justified. Let’s go through them, Bears Fans, in no particular order.
Result: A 42-yard DPI penalty. Vikings go on to kick a field goal.
I, for one, have long supported a rule change in the NFL that eliminates the “work back through the defender on an underthrown ball for DPI” play we see so often. It rewards the offense for bad play. But even with the rules as they currently stand, this was not DPI. The receiver does NOT work back through the defender. He loses his feet and slips to the ground, and in a desperate attempt to earn a DPI, he actually grabs Wright to pull him down with him. This was a massive penalty – literally flipping the field for the Vikings. They got their first points of the game with it – a field goal.
Result: instead of a sack (likely killing the Vikings drive) it’s a first down for the Vikings.
This is not roughing the passer. Dayo makes contact to the lower neck area – no forceable contact to the helmet. Sweat makes incidental contact to the facemask towards the end of the play – but it is not forceable and is insufficient to justify throwing a flag.
Result: instead of a sack ending the drive, it’s a first down for the Vikings in the red zone.
Even Troy Aikman, who mostly made excuses for the refs on Monday night, couldn’t swallow this one. We know this isn’t Illegal Hands to the Face because Dayo never, in fact, touches the offensive lineman’s face. Bull rushes often will force the offensive lineman’s head back – the ref needs to see hands to the face to call it – you don’t infer it.
