NFL referees seemingly have no idea what a catch (or offensive pass interference) is

The Bears' miracluous season came to an end with a 20-17 overtime loss against the Rams.

First off, they didn't lose the game because of bad officiating. They lost because they only managed to put up 17 points against a defense that had given up 28 points per game over the past two months. They lost (in part) because Ben Johnson has Dan Campbell on one shoulder telling him to go for it on 4th-and-short no matter how well his defense is playing and an angel on the other telling him to kick a field goal, and he recognizes Campbell's voice more. They also lost because their usually great receiving corps dropped the ball (literally and figuratively) in the most important game of the season.

With that said, there were a few awful calls in last night's game that didn't go unnoticed. I mean, how could they? One of them was awfully similar to the deciding call from the Bills/Broncos game on Saturday afternoon.

It was somehow ruled differently, though. Why was that the case?

24 hours apart almost the exact same

Left: Ruled an NFL interception.

Right: Ruled an NFL catch, Adams is down by contact AND the refs take time to review it.

It’s getting harder to explain the rules of this league. pic.twitter.com/EpEjGl1gRB
— Michael Schwartz (@MSchwartzTV) January 19, 2026

Some have argued that Adams clearly had possession and was ruled down. Okay, then why wasn't Cooks ruled down? It certainly looked like he "had possession" for a similar amount of time.

I personally don't know what the outcome of these calls should be, but I know they shouldn't result in different outcomes. Not with the stakes on the line for both games, and the fact that the paint hasn't even dried on the play that ended the Bills' season. How they can rule both plays differently is beyond me. It's a brazen example of everything wrong with referring in today's NFL.

The Rams were in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown five plays later. Surely that was the only questionable/awful call on the drive, though, right?

Of course not...

How is this not OPI on Puka? It doesn’t get more obvious than that. pic.twitter.com/YT523D7Vw1
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) January 19, 2026

How they didn't throw a flag for offensive pass interference on the 35-yard play that sparked the drive is also beyond me. Rams receiver Puka Nacua literally knocked two defenders (including the one supposed to be on Colby Parkinson) clean out of the play. It's undeniable.

Remember when they called Colston Loveland for OPI against the Commanders in October? I know it's petty to pull the receipt from three months ago, but it's burned into my brain.

Charmin soft penalty right here on Colston Loveland.

The CB doesn't expect anything, but the Commanders' safety saw the flag and signaled for PI. pic.twitter.com/low4ZTU2Ft
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) October 15, 2025

Which one do you think was more egregious? The one that got called, or the one that was missed?

Does this article come off as sour grapes? Maybe. Probably? I honestly don't care. As I mentioned in the opener, the Bears didn't capitalize on their opportunities yesterday. The zebras weren't solely to blame for the loss. Still, consistency is important, and the refs seemingly can't provide that.

Hey, at least they showed up when Gervon Dexter Sr. had an egregiously late hit on Coleman Shelton.. He was able to knock the 300 lb. lineman off his feet without even raising his hands!