Phantom pass interference call on Joe Haden sets up Saints touchdown vs. Steelers

The New Orleans Saints received an absolute gift in their showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Their first touchdown Sunday came courtesy of the officials.

Saints gamble pays off thanks to bad call

New Orleans decided to gamble early on fourth-and-1 at the Pittsburgh 34-yard line late in the first quarter with the Steelers leading 3-0. Rather than play it safe with a short pass or run, Drew Brees looked deep to Alvin Kamara in the end zone.

The ball sailed over his and Steelers cornerback Joe Haden’s head and hit the turf.

Turnover on downs. Except it wasn’t.

Haden hit with PI for barely touching Kamara

Haden got flagged for pass interference on the play, setting up the Saints with first-and-goal at the 1-yard line, where Mark Ingram punched it in for the go-ahead score.

To be clear, the footage shown above drew a pass interference call. Apparently officials deemed that Haden touching Kamara in the back was worthy of giving the Saints a first down and the ball near the goal line.

It was a blatantly bad call, one of the worst pass interference flags we’ve ever seen.

Rules analyst criticizes call on Twitter

CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore agreed.

“Even though Joe Haden did have a hand on the receiver prior to the ball being there, he should not have been penalized for pass interference on this play,” Steratore wrote on Twitter. “This contact did not effect the receiver and is not severe enough to warrant a flag.”

In a game with playoff implications for both teams, that terrible pass interference call could end up playing a significant role in the NFL season.

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