It’s only week two, but the Game Changing Play of the Week segment is already going off the rails a little bit. Rather than examining the full Xs and Os of a play, we’re honing in on a horrendous call by the officials that cost the Packers a win.

It’s a sad sign of the state of the league when it’s not even all that surprising that the referees are responsible for the single-most important play of the game.

But here we are—the most important play of the game yesterday had to be the referees’ call of roughing the passer on a Clay Matthews hit that forced Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to throw what should have been a game-sealing interception to cornerback Jaire Alexander. If the refs get the call right, that’s the game right there, and today we’re talking about this play in an entirely different context, an excellent defensive effort that sealed a massive divisional win.

I woke up from a nightmare that the NFL was calling THIS roughing the passer.

Oh wait, that's reality, and it sucks.https://t.co/pq4kLessKh

— Tim Backes (@timbackes) September 17, 2018

The context

Shortly before this play, the Packers kicked a field goal to go up 29-21 with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. That prior possession was courtesy of a ball that bounced off the hands of Vikings receiver Laquan Treadwell and into those of Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Many will argue the Packers mismanaged the time on that possession, opting to run the ball with just a couple seconds before the two-minute warning, then throw two passes in a row into the endzone, both of which turned out to be incomplete. This series meant the Vikings would still be within one score and did not have to expend either of their two timeouts.

Still, the pressure was on Minnesota to get the ball all the way down the field on their next drive and score a touchdown and two-point conversion. While the Packers’ defense struggled in the fourth quarter, it had put together three impressive quarters of play before that, and the momentum was all on their side.

The reversed call on the interception changed everything, and completely reversed the momentum of the game.

*It is also important to note that earlier in the game, the referees made a horrendous roughing the passer call on the Vikings, but the stakes were not nearly as significant as they were in this particular game situation.

The play

We could look at the whole play over and over again, but what we’re really interested in is the hit.

There are several factors that could make this a roughing the passer penalty by today’s definition. A blow to the helmet, a hit below the knees, a late hit, landing on the quarterback with the defender’s body weight (the ridiculous new emphasis this year), or picking the quarterback up and driving him into the ground.

Not a single one of these factors applied to this play, meaning that even by the NFL’s horrendous definition of roughing the passer, this play simply does not apply.

Rewatch the GIF above, then take a look at several stills here.

From this part of the play alone, we can tell three things: Clay did not hit Cousins in the helmet or below the knee—he got him perfectly in the midsection. It was also not a late hit, as the ball was coming out practically simultaneously with Matthews’ hit. It is physically impossible for Matthews to lay off the hit in this scenario, and he shouldn’t have to—for all he knows, Cousins still has the ball in his hand.

Here we see Cousins raising his right leg off the ground as part of the delivery of the pass. Due to the force of the blow, Cousins’ other leg will become unplanted from the ground, but if you watch the video in real time, Matthews does not raise Cousins up off the ground any higher—he simply takes him down to the ground.

Here, Clay stretches out his left arm to help brace the fall, presumably to avoid the “bodyweight” call. He’s basically taking down Cousins as gently as he possibly can in this situation, because he knows the NFL is doing everything it can to outlaw hitting the quarterback.

Nothing Matthews does in this play comes even close to meeting the NFL’s definition of roughing the passer. Of course, that’s not how referee Tony Corrente sees it.

Referee Tony Corrente told pool reporter @RobDemovsky that Matthews was flagged because, "when he hit the quarterback, he lifted him and drove him into the ground." Was not the new NFL rule about body weight on the QB. Watching this replay ... I don't see it. https://t.co/8iYOGLe57J

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) September 16, 2018

So according to Corrente, the call wasn’t even about the new rule—it was that Matthews lifted the quarterback and drove him into the ground, which anyone with functioning eyes can see simply did not happen.

The response

The new roughing the passer rules have already been the subject of a significant amount of controversy this offseason, but this was the first time this year where the improper application of a roughing the passer penalty clearly, inarguably altered the outcome of a football game. You can expect more of that to come.

The response, of course, came fast and furious. This from Sunday Night Football rules expert and former NFL referee Terry McAulay:

I’ll just say this now: if the two hits on the QB in #MINvsGB are indeed fouls for roughing the passer, I am glad that I am no longer on the field and have to make those calls.

— Terry McAulay (@SNFRules) September 16, 2018

From Matthews himself:

Clay Matthews on his roughing penalty: "I don’t know where to start, to be honest with you. I have so many emotions running through as far as what a terrible call it was. At the same time, I don’t know what else to do."

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 16, 2018

More Matthews on roughing call: "Did I put pressure on him? I thought I hit him within from his waist to chest, got my head across, put my hands down. To call it at that point in the game is just unbelievable. Last week, OK, shame on me. But this week, that’s unbelievable."

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 16, 2018

From wide receiver Davante Adams:

#Packers WR Davante Adams on the officiating: "The reffing today, I’m not one to even go there, especially in front of the cameras, but it was questionable all game. ... That’s why you can’t put the officials in position to determine the outcome of the game. ... It was terrible."

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) September 16, 2018

From defensive tackle Mike Daniels:

It's tough out here now Wood.

— Mike Daniels (@Mike_Daniels76) September 17, 2018

#Packers DE Mike Daniels on the roughing penalty against Clay Matthews: "It’s hard to play defense now. That’s all there is to it. It’s just hard to play defense, really. I don’t know what to say."

— Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) September 16, 2018

Ultimately, what’s done is done—there’s no taking the play back, and the Packers are going to have to get through the rest of the season with a tie on their record. It’s not pretty—better than a loss, certainly, but infuriating nonetheless, and there’s a real feeling of lost opportunity surrounding this game.

Here’s hoping it’s the only game this year in which the most crucial play of the game is decided by the referees rather than the players on the field.