Chargers got off with pass interference on Chiefs’ Hail Mary

Pass interference is rarely invoked on Hail Mary passes. But it is meant to be, and it should have been on the Chiefs’ Hail Mary’s pass in the last game of Sunday’s loss to the Chargers.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes pushed the ball to the end zone, where Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce were able to make a game for her. Chargers cornerback Tevaughn Campbell gave Hill a hug, while Alohi Gilman grabbed Kelce and knocked him to the ground. Both players could easily have been flagged for passing interference, which would have given the Chiefs one more play to try to score a touchdown from the 1-yard line.

Former NFL referee Terry McAulay, who is now an analyst for NBC Sports, said the Chargers absolutely should have been reported.

“There is no scenario where it is not a defensive pass interference foul”McAulay wrote.

Had the Chargers been flagged, the Chiefs would have had a great opportunity to level the game with a touchdown and then win the game with an extra point. It was a big missed call, and the fact that officials often miss this call on Hail Mary passes doesn’t make it acceptable.