The New York Giants pushed back on a late defensive pass interference penalty against cornerback Deonte Banks that proved decisive in their 24-21 Thursday Night Football loss to the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium.
Trailing 21-17 with under two minutes left, the Commanders started a three-play, 71-yard drive from their own 29-yard line. On the first snap, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw deep to Treylon Burks. Officials flagged Banks for a 33-yard pass interference, advancing Washington to the Giants’ 38-yard line.
Replay showed Burks grabbing Banks and pulling him in while Banks failed to turn and locate the ball. The drive concluded with Daniels’ 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds remaining.
Banks left the locker
room without speaking to reporters. Teammates addressed the call for him.
Safety Tyler Nubin pointed to league tendencies that favor offenses.
“This league is funny, bro,” Nubin told NJ Advance Media. “This league is funny. There’s really nothing you can do about it, man. When you’re in trail position, nine times out of 10, they’re going to call that PI. That’s just how the league is. Just got to weather it.”
Nubin clarified that the NFL is an offense-driven league in which officials prefer to see points scored.
Safety Jason Pinnock went further, criticizing how offenses manufacture such penalties late in games.
“I’m going to be honest, and I ain’t going to say nothing that gets me fined,” Pinnock said. “But it’s getting to a point now where [offensive coordinators] are taking advantage of it. They’re not calling real plays. They’re going four wide, and they’re throwing that junk outside. And it looks like these receivers literally have techniques to get PIs. They’re grabbing the back of DBs’ necks. It’s almost like it’s becoming a technique.”
Pinnock labeled the approach "corny" and called for more legitimate play-calling.
“It’s corny,” he said. “Call a real play. Win one-on-one. I don’t get it. And it’s tough, because as a DB, if you get your eyes back too early, it’s a big play. If you don’t, it’s a PI. It’s a win-win situation for the offense, man. It’s frustrating. But at the end of the day, you can complain about it. It’s going to get called. So you’ve got to find a way around it, whether that’s practicing more deep balls and getting your eyes back. I think that’s the main focus. That’s what referees are saying, so that’s what we’ve got to abide by.”
The flag helped spark the Commanders’ game-winning sequence in a crucial NFC East contest.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants slam ‘corny’ DPI penalty called on Deonte Banks
