Sep 21st 2008 5:27PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Colts, Jaguars
In the second quarter of today’s game at Indianapolis, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis stepped in front of Colts receiver Marvin Harrison, picked off a Peyton Manning pass and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown.

It was a huge play, the kind of play that can change the course of a game, but there was just one problem with it. Mathis blatantly interfered with Harrison, grabbing his jersey and pulling him back to get into position to intercept Manning’s pass. The officials missed it on the field, but Colts coach Tony Dungy was yelling about it on the sideline, and on the TV replays it was obvious: It should have been a penalty.

And that raises an interesting question: Why isn’t pass interference reviewable? Yes, I know the arguments against allowing pass interference to be reviewed on replay, but none of them really hold up to much scrutiny, not when you consider just how much a pass interference call (or, in this case, non-call) can change a game. If a TV replay can show indisputable visual evidence that pass interference occurred on a play, why shouldn’t Dungy be allowed to throw his red challenge flag?

The answer is that he should. This is a rule that the NFL should change.