NFL fans don’t want refs making same call in 4th quarter as they would earlier in game

It turns out, most fans don’t want an official making the same call in the fourth quarter that they make in the first.

Following the Kansas City Chiefs win in Super Bowl LVII, the biggest storyline was the defensive holding called late in the game allowing the Chiefs to run out nearly the entire clock before kicking a go-ahead field goal. The call didn’t do much to improve Kansas City’s field position, already deep in Philadelphia Eagles territory, but it let roughly a minute of game-play run off the clock before the Eagles could attempt a comeback.

The dispute wasn’t over the viability of the call – even Eagles cornerback James Bradberry admitted to the hold, hoping the officials would decide not to throw the flag.

But in the latest SB Nation Reacts survey, fans said they’d like officials to use a little discretion when making calls. Nearly two-thirds of NFL fans said they’d like for refs to be aware of the context of what their call would mean.

It’s not an unheard of concept. Basketball fans are used to seeing refs swallow the whistle on the final play of a game, avoiding making a call in the final seconds unless it’s a blatant transgression.

Of course, this is a wildly slippery slope. Allowing this would entrust referees to not only decide what exactly is a penalty, but what deserves to be called a penalty. Maybe the league could put perimeters around what is allowable, only letting refs this kind of leeway in the final minute of a game

Fortunately Roger Goodell believes the officials in the NFL are better now than ever before in the history of the game. A feeling that fans almost assurable agree with...

Oh no. We are never going to figure out what a catch really is.