It seems like every week in the NFL, there’s a game that is heaviliy impacted by a controversial pass interference call. This past week, the Los Angeles Rams fell victim to a controversial call against the Denver Broncos. Rams cornerback Josh Wallace intercepted a Bo Nix pass in the red zone with just over a minute left, but he was called for pass interference, extending what would become the game-winning drive. Upon replay, it appeared, if anything, it should have been called offensive pass interference on Broncos receiver
Pat Bryant. You be the judge:
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was not asked specifically about this play, but whether he believes the penalty needs to be reviewable.
“I’m all good with it not being a challenge anymore,” Campbell said. “Those guys have got to make the call, and you’ve got to live with it.”
Campbell has an interesting perspective on the topic, as he was part of the coaching staff when the New Orleans Saints were impacted by one of the biggest non-calls in playoff history. In the 2018 NFC Championship Game, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman clearly hit Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived, but no flag was thrown. It turned out to be a critical no-call with less than two minutes left in a tie game. New Orleans would lose in overtime.
But the play was so high-profile that it led the league to adopt—on a one-year basis—a rule that allowed coaches to challenge pass interference. That year, the rule change was largely considered ineffective. Of the 81 calls that coaches challenged that year, only 13 were overturned. Campbell believes that did not make the situation any better, and only delayed the game further.
“I just know when we tried to do this whole thing, it just gets muddy, man,” Campbell said. “It’s so subjective is what happens. And I think what you run into is the same thing that we’re running into with catch, no catch. There is a— it’s told this is what it is. But yet, man, if it’s 50-50, they’re going to go with what’s been called. And now you do enough of these, now the game gets extended, you’re waiting to figure out what they’re going to say.”
The Lions themselves have been on the bad end of pass interference calls more than most teams. Through three weeks, Detroit has been called for a league-high five defensive pass interference penalties, although three of those were declined.
While Campbell isn’t in favor of making pass interference reviewable, the Lions franchise did propose a rule related to the topic. In 2025, the sought to remove the automatic first down stipulation for illegal contract penalties, but it did not pass.
