NFL VP of officiating Walt Anderson addresses controversial plays in Packers-Panthers game

There were a couple of controversial calls late in the Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers game Sunday afternoon, with both calls going against the Panthers.

The first questionable call came late in the fourth quarter on a catch by Romeo Doubs. The Packers receiver caught a 36-yard pass on third-and-4 but appeared to lose control as he was going to the ground.

The Panthers challenged the call, but the ruling on the field was not overturned and Doubs was credited with a catch. Green Bay went on to kick the game-winning field goal on the drive, as the Packers held on for a 33-30 win.

NFL Senior VP of Officiating Walt Anderson spoke with a pool reporter after the game about the play.

“The ruling on the field, obviously, is where we start. It was a catch, and the receiver maintained control throughout the process as he was going to the ground,” Anderson said, according to Ian Rapoport.

“We actually did see the ball touch the ground, but we also saw that he had control of the ball in his left hand. The left hand never came off the ball, and there were no available shots that show that he actually lost control of the ball in his left hand. … Since the ruling on the field was a catch, we stayed with the ruling on the field.”

The other controversial play occurred in the final seconds of the game. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young tried to spike the ball with one second remaining on the clock, but it was ruled that Young did not get the spike completed in time. Instead, the game was determined to be over.

According to Anderson, the Panthers got the snap off in time, but by the time the ball hit the ground, the clock expired.

“What they ruled was that the ball was snapped with one on the clock, but by the time the ball hit the ground, they had zero,” Anderson said. “And they asked us if we could confirm that to them, that in fact the clock actually went to zero just as it was leaving the quarterback’s hand, so it was clearly at zero when it hit the ground. And we could confirm that to the crew.”

The Panthers would have had a chance to kick a game-tying field goal as time expired had they gotten the ball spiked in time. Instead, Carolina fell to 2-13 with the loss.