There were 5.18 offensive holding calls per game in Week One and the first 15 games of Week Two have seen 4.67 flags thrown for that infraction per game, but Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said that the number could be even higher.
Watt felt that officials didn’t penalize many clear holding violations by Jaguars offensive linemen over the course of Houston’s 13-12 victory. Watt also said that one member of the officiating crew told him his suspicions were justified.
“There were a couple of holding calls out there, it’s every week,” Watt said, via the Houston Chronicle. “The ref literally admitted to me that guy held me on one play, and he didn’t throw the flag. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that after a play. I look over at the ref and he says, ‘Yes, I saw him hold you, but I didn’t throw the flag.’ “I’ll probably get fined for this and that’s fine, but I don’t know what to do with that. I’m also very confused. I don’t know what to do there. It’s just part of the game. It’s something I’ve dealt with for a long time. I literally looked over at him and he said, ‘I know, I saw it.'”
The Jaguars offense was flagged for holding three times during the game, but it seems Watt is not alone in feeling that number was lower than it could have been.