[legend42]

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the reason your argument is wrong is that it IS a close spot. if he makes that catch we get a FG attempt. if he doesn't make it, we have to punt. that's a huge swing in a close football game..

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I made this point in the game thread, but as a Pats fan, I don't think this is a bad no-call. Yes, if Faulk makes the catch, they're in FG range (down by 6, not 3, btw). But Faulk clearly went for the penalty rather than the catch, dramatizing the contact before the ball was even to him which gave the ref a choice to either throw the flag (essentially giving them a 3rd-and-20 conversion on a 5-yard underneath pass based on light contact) or make a no-call.

Smart veteran move considering the situation (not a huge EV swing between a punt that pins the Colts and a 50+ yard FG attempt, so he was kind of freerolling) but the ref didn't go for it.

The play itself. Brackett slightly hooked Faulk's back arm to get around him, and then *deflected* the pass away with his right hand (Faulk had already turned his body trying to sell the contact). Yeah, it could have been a flag, but like a soccer player taking a dive in the box, I'd rather the officials let this stuff go.