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Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas: ‘We’re playing the referees too’

Near the end of the Seattle Seahawks' 28-26 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Rams running back Tre Mason fumbled the ball in Seattle's territory. It appeared that Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman first recovered the ball, but it was ruled that St. Louis was able to regain possession of the ball. After the game, Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said the team is "playing the referees too."
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Near the end of the Seattle Seahawks' 28-26 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Rams running back Tre Mason fumbled the ball in Seattle's territory. It appeared that Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman first recovered the ball, but it was ruled that St. Louis was able to regain possession of the ball.

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After the game, safety Earl Thomas was asked if he was surprised that the play was not reviewed by officials.

“Yeah,” Thomas told reporters. “At least give us a shot. But you know what? I’m not surprised with the referees this season. If you really look at some plays, we’re playing more than our opponents. We’re playing the referees too. I don’t care what anybody is saying. Something is wrong. That needs to be brought up.”

The NFL's vice president of officiating tweeted after the game that the league looked at available angles of the play and found "no evidence of who recovered ball" because that ball was "still loose and then went into [the] pile."

From The Seattle Times:

Thomas was asked if the refs gave the Seahawks an explanation: “There’s never an explanation,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy how football is turning out now. You give a guy, just because he wears a white and black shirt, he has authority of the game. Man, they need to stay out of it — that’s my key — and let us dominate.”

The Rams led 21-6 at halftime. The Seahawks then scored 13 unanswered points to get within two. Seattle attempted a two-point conversion, but quarterback Russell Wilson overthrew wide receiver Jermaine Kearse.

With a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Rams executed a fake punt play to extend their drive. Rams punter Johnny Hekker threw a 18-yard pass to running back Benny Cunningham. The Seahawks were out of timeouts, and could not stop the clock.

Seattle (3-3) plays the Carolina Panthers on the road next Sunday. The Rams (2-4) play the Chiefs in Kansas City.

- Sarah Barshop