The Seattle Seahawks may have benefitted from some calls by the officials. Twitter definitely had an opinion on the officiating in the NFC Wild Card game.
Are we any bit surprised? The officials of the NFC Wild Card game between the No. 3 Seattle Seahawks and the No. 6 Detroit Lions were the story of the game. Seattle is notoriously the most difficult team to officiate. This is because the Seahawks are ultra-aggressive by nature and get away with more.
Referees are more inclined to swallow the whistle when calling games with heavily penalized teams like the Seahawks. They could call a penalty on most plays in they were so inclined. There’s also that factor of the 12th Man at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. It’s incredibly loud there and a whistle just kind of fades into the overall noise from that raucous stadium.
That being said, there were a handful of calls that the referees were clearly meek on. Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson definitely grabbed the defender’s face mask on the catch of the year.
nickr83: Replay of tremendous Paul Richardson catch … #WildCard #DETvsSEA NBC NFL Playoff: … https://t.co/0mpfmM7ZfT pic.twitter.com/NdB7yZaOjT
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) January 8, 2017
This is the one that set Twitter ablaze with a fiery rage of prime official hating. Many feel that the Lions are getting hosed in the fashion they were in the 2014 NFC Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. Seahawks, 12th man, referees. It’s all there.
Ball drops 2 yards in front of the receiver after the DB tackles him.
— J Baydoun (@JIBaydoun) January 8, 2017
Referee: "It was uncatchable" #DetroitvsEverybody #Lions pic.twitter.com/CUjvgV7TLP
Uncatchable? As usual this referee job is laughable. #Lions
— Dennis Harrow (@DennisHarrow) January 8, 2017
Funny how Seattle has struggled for the past 4 weeks and now they're playing like the team 2 years ago, the 12th man was always the refs
— Thomas Brown (@TABrown_15) January 8, 2017
Wow it's confirmed that the True 12th man is the officiating crew. #12thMan #Seahawks #Lions
— TexasSportsLounge (@TXSportsLounge) January 8, 2017
Exclusive photo of the real 12th man #DETvsSEA pic.twitter.com/2mb19xl1VL
— Matt (@barilematt) January 8, 2017
The 12th Man wears black and white stripes pic.twitter.com/n6no1Y7HfN
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) January 8, 2017
The Seahawks get away with everything
— NotJordanLove (@N0tJordanLove) January 8, 2017
Should the Seahawks win, they will have to play on the road in NFC Divisional Round against the No. 2 Atlanta Falcons. Seattle has been an average road team in 2016 and Atlanta can certainly put up points at the Georgia Dome.
Unless the winner of tomorrow’s other NFC Wild Card game between the No. 4 Green Bay Packers (10-6) and the No. 5 New York Giants (11-5) defeat the No. 1 Dallas Cowboys on the road in the other NFC Divisional Round game, Seattle will not play at CenturyLink Field the rest of the season.
must read: 30 Best NFL Defenders of All-Time
The Seahawks have a dominant home-field advantage, but being the No. 3 seed only gets a team one guaranteed home playoff game. Seattle will have a tough challenger in Atlanta next Saturday, should the Seahawks advance.