The New England Patriots were downright bad in their loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, but there was another group of individuals that put together a much, much worse showing at Gillette Stadium.
Ron Torbert, Barry Anderson, Frank LeBlanc, Brian Bolinger, Ryan Dickson, Keith Washington and Tony Josselyn.
The NFL has an officiating problem on its hands, with Torbert, Anderson, LeBlanc, Bolinger, Dickson, Washington and Josselyn putting together one of the worst performances we’ve ever seen from a singular crew. Yes, we’re making sure to call them all out by name.
Do we have time to point out each and every one of the obvious calls they missed? No, we don’t… actually, yes, we do have the time.
Torbert’s crew didn’t wait very long to start, flagging Patriots safety Marte Mapu for defensive pass interference on the first drive of the game, despite the fact that Texans tight end Dalton Schultz initiated contact within five yards. Houston would score two plays later. Texans defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi was clearly offsides on their first defensive play of the game, but a flag was not thrown, just as there wasn’t when Patriots running back Antonio Gibson nearly got his head ripped off due to a facemask early in the second half. New England would turn the ball over just one play later. The Patriots got away with at least one penalty, too, as safety Kyle Dugger stuck his leg out to trip a ball carrier and walked back to the huddle without being penalized. Patriots offensive lineman Vederian Lowe, however, was penalized for kicking too much ass on a screen attempt that came directly before a punt.
Texans running back Dameon Pierce also didn’t actually score the final touchdown of the game, though that one seems like nitpicking.
Is anyone else lightheaded?
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo kind of addressed the litany of missed calls postgame, saying there were “way too many” penalties in total. New England was called for nine penalties, while Houston was called for four.
Mayo could have, and probably should have, said a bit more. The Patriots didn’t even come close to making excuses following the game, and they shouldn’t have, but words from the head coach about an abhorrent afternoon from the officials could have gone a long way toward galvanizing a team that needs a spark.
It’s not Mayo’s responsibility to say something, but it probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
The Patriots weren’t going to win this game even if all those calls went in their direction, but this team is looking to build a foundation. Torbert’s crew actively made that more difficult than it already is, and that’s worth more than just slight criticism.
Do better, NFL.
