The Richard Sherman interception that ended the Packers’ first drive on Sunday shouldn’t have counted, as the Seahawks were offside on the play.
Although the officials didn’t see it, replays clearly show that Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett jumped offside on the play. Here’s a picture of Bennett’s head in the neutral zone just as the ball was being snapped.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after the game that center Corey Linsley snapped the ball early because he saw Bennett across the line, and that Rodgers tested Sherman with a pass to Davante Adams in the end zone because he thought it was a free play.
“Corey snapped it early — I figured it was a free play — and Davante’s was the only route that was going in the end zone,” Rodgers said. “Sherm made a good play. . . . I saw the end jump; he must not have been in the zone.”
But he was in the zone. Rodgers saw it, Linsley saw it, and the officials missed it.
If the officials had seen it, the Packers would have had the ball on the Seahawks’ 24-yard line and almost certainly would have scored three points on the possession, if not seven. Instead, the Packers’ first possession ended with no points. It hurts to lose any points in a game that you ultimately lose in overtime. That missed call hurt the Packers dearly.