Article 3, Item 5 of the NFL Rulebook states: “If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control.”  Despite a clear interception by M.D. Jennings of the Green Bay Packers at the end of their game against the Seattle Seahawks, possession was given to Seahawks receiver Golden Tate.

This is just the latest in a line of incompetence being shown by the replacement referees who are trying to hold down the fort until a deal can be reached with the legitimate officials. As terrible calls began piling up during the first three weeks of the NFL season, fans began wondering when these officials would actually cost a team a game.

On Monday night, they finally got their answer. The shocked looks on the faces of the Green Bay Packers players said it all. They, and everyone else involved in the league, knew they had been robbed, and yet even “Upon Further Review,” the referees had gotten the call incorrect.

Roger Goodell can tell the fans how the number of penalties being called is almost identical to what it was a season ago, but it does not matter. The quality of these calls is visibly diminished. Calls that should be penalties are not being called that way, and games are being decided by people that are no more qualified to call penalties than the fans themselves.

The NFL needs to resolve its issues with the regular officials before a player gets seriously injured, or worse. The NFL may be trying to convince themselves that these referees are doing an adequate job, but they are not fooling the fans. They know what they want, and a diminished version of the game that they love is not what they are tuning in for each Sunday.