The Dolphins looked like they were about to get their fifth straight win over the Jets when a third-and-17 pass to Vyncint Smith fell incomplete late in the fourth quarter, but the Jets got new life thanks to a replay review.
Officials ruled that Dolphins rookie cornerback Nik Needham interfered with Smith while watching the replay, which was triggered from the booth because it came in the last two minutes of the game. Dolphins head coach Brian Flores had an angry reaction on the field and Needham made it clear how he felt after the game.
“We fought our ass off, 60 minutes of strong, hard football,” Needham said, via the Miami Herald. “Fought back from halftime down a little bit, came back, was up and we lost on a call. It’s trash, I’m not going to lie.”
Needham added that officials “didn’t call anything all game until the last play” and many will note the inconsistency of NFL vice president of officiating Al Riveron citing “clear and obvious” evidence of interference on this play when so many other replay reviews have allowed similar no-calls to stand.
Others, like Dolphins center Daniel Kilgore, will note that the Dolphins “wouldn’t have been in that situation” if their offense had scored something other than field goals in the 22-21 loss.