The officiating crew made a stunning mistake Thursday night when Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger was flagged for face masking, even though replays showed Bellinger did not grab Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown’s face mask but instead grabbed Bellinger’s face mask. That mistake was a 30-yard swing in favor of the Cowboys.
After the match, Bellinger said he didn’t know how that mistake could have happened and the officials didn’t answer when he asked.
“I tried to ask for an explanation. I didn’t get one,” Bellinger said. “I just saw the video, he grabbed my face mask. But it’s up to them, it’s their decision. Hopefully they do it right.”
They didn’t get it right, and it was a costly decision for the Giants. It begs the question why the NFL won’t allow coaches to challenge inflated face mask calls, as Giants coach Brian Daboll would have challenged and won if he could have done so. Instead, the Giants wondered how the officials could make such an obvious mistake.
