The team believes the game shouldn’t have been put in the hands of the officials to have such a huge influence.
The Baltimore Ravens were on the wrong side of some non-called penalties in their Week 3 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, which resulted in a 22-19 loss. However, none were more egregious and ultimately costly than the missed defensive pass interference committed against rookie Zay Flowers in overtime.
Refs missed a big pass interference call on the Colts defense.
Zay Flowers was upset. pic.twitter.com/iOTBOiECSs
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) September 24, 2023
It came on 4th-&-3 from the Indianapolis 47 yard line with three minutes and 25 seconds left in the game. Instead of trotting six-time Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker out for a 60+-yard field goal attempt, after he missed from 61 yards out in the end of regulation, the Ravens kept the offense on the field.
Flowers ran a shallow slant route across the middle and before the ball arrived, he clearly was interfered with by Colts linebacker E.J. Speed. However, no flag was thrown, resulting in a turnover on downs.
The Colts got the ball back and picked up 18 more yards to set up Matt Gay for a game-winning 53-yard field goal. Gay made NFL history by becoming the first kicker to successfully nail four kicks from 50+ in a single game.
After the game, Head Coach John Harbaugh said that he wasn’t given an explanation from the officiating crew on why a foul wasn’t called. However, neither he nor starting quarterback Lamar Jackson blamed it as the primary reason the Ravens came up short on Sunday.
Asked about officials not throwing a flag on Zay Flowers incompletion (that some felt was PI), Lamar Jackson tilted his head side to side before giving a chuckle.
“Man, we had plenty of opportunities in the game to finish wrong, but it is what it is. Live to fight another day.”
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 24, 2023
“Man, we had plenty of opportunities in the game to finish wrong, but it is what it is,” Jackson said. “Live to fight another day.”
While they didn’t offer much comment on the pivotal play, some members of the national media didn’t hesitate to sound off in expressing their displeasure for blown no-call.
The Athletic’s Nate Tice called it “an absolutely atrocious no call.”
an absolutely atrocious no call in Baltimore
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 24, 2023
As Jackson admitted in his postgame comments, the Ravens had several chances to put the game away and secure their third-straight victory to open the season. For example, the play just before the horrendous officiating failure, second-year tight end Isaiah Likely dropped what would’ve been a first down catch.
Had he made this grab, which was placed right at his chest, the offense would’ve had a fresh set of downs and been well within Tucker’s confident field goal range on the rainy afternoon.