There was less than two minutes remaining in the game, the Washington Redskins trailed the New York Giants, 24-17.On second-and-5, Robert Griffin III connected with Pierre Garcon for a short pass that appeared to be just short of the first down line. However, the referees signaled to the Redskins’ sideline that the completion resulted in a first down.
The Redskins thought the next play was first-and-10, but it was really third-and-inches. On that play, RGIII threw a dart to Fred Davis down the middle, but Davis was unable to hold onto the ball. It was a well-thrown ball, and it should have been caught.
At this point, Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan realized the downs never changed, and demanded an explanation. The referees wouldn’t give him one. Then on fourth-and-inches, RGIII hit Garcon again for what would have been a first down, but Giants safety Will Hill stripped Garcon of the ball, which ultimately sealed the deal for the Giants win.
After the game, the NFL announced that its referees did make a mistake during that last drive.
“We signaled third down on the field. The stakes were moved incorrectly. After that play, we said it was still third down. We had signaled third down prior to the play starting. The chains just got moved incorrectly," says head referee Jeff Triplette after the game, via the Washington Times.
Regardless of whether or not the down affected the Redskins’ play calling, there is no excuse for Fred Davis’ drop on third down or Pierre Garcon getting stripped on fourth down. Those plays could have happened at any time.
At the end of the day, the Giants did enough to win the game. The referees messed up at the end, but Washington had a chance to negate the referees' mishap and didn’t take advantage.
The Redskins can blame the referees all they want for the loss, but the majority of the blame needs to be placed on Davis and Garcon.
By Mike Lucas
