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NFL could make pass interference subject to coaches’ challenges in wake of Sunday’s critical gaffe

Posted at 12:32 PM, Jan 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-21 13:32:04-05

NFL coaches might be allowed to throw the challenge flag for pass interference penalties next season.

In the wake of a crucial non-call that likely cost New Orleans a shot at winning the NFC Championship in regulation on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, the Washington Post reports that coaches’ challenges maybe be used on pass interference and perhaps other penalties starting with the 2019 preseason.

It will be discussed at length along with additional fouls that coaches feel should be subject to review,” one source told the Post.

It’s not the first time this rule change has been debated. And it’s even been successfully implemented in the Canadian Football League. But it’s never received the necessary support of three-fourths of the NFL owners to change any rule, according to Pro Football Talk.com.

The bad call against New Orleans might be enough to finally do the trick.

And in the wake of the Saints’ devastating overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, headline writers at the New Orleans Times-Picayune couldn’t resist a well-chosen dig at the haphazard officiating that marked Sunday’s game.