Earl Thomas says Seahawks are ‘battling officials’

“It’s kind of crazy how football is turning out now. You give a guy, just because he wears a white and black shirt, he has authority of the game,” Thomas told The Seattle Times in the locker room after the 28-26 loss. “Man, they need to stay out of it — that’s my key — and let us dominate.”

Specifically, Thomas referenced the controversial fumble play that allowed the Rams to milk away the final moments and fend off a furious Seahawks rally. Late in the fourth quarter, St. Louis coughed up the football after rushing for a critical third down and Seattle’s Richard Sherman came out of the ensuing pile with it. Replays seemed to indicate that Sherman had indeed fallen on the football, but with the clock under two minutes the Seahawks were at the mercy of the officials to review the play. The refs made the controversial decision not to go under the hood.

“Yeah. At least give us a shot,” Thomas said. “But you know what? I’m not surprised with the referees this season. If you really look at some plays, we’re playing more than our opponents. We’re playing the referees too. I don’t care what anybody is saying. Something is wrong. That needs to be brought up.”