NFL scrambles to justify NFL referee’s controversial call that hurt Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers suffered plenty of self-inflicted wounds and missed on critical chances during the crushing loss to the Houston Texans in Week 17.

One horrendous flag from NFL referees, though, certainly didn't help.

Late in a close game, NFL officials hit Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still with an illegal contact penalty.

The flag wiped out a Chargers sack of C.J. Stroud, which would have given the ball back to Justin Herbert, giving him a chance to win the game. Based on some of his MVP-like drives earlier, there was a chance.

And if Herbert had been able to pull it off, the Chargers would have likely remained in the hunt for the AFC West crown, if not No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

But Herbert never got the chance because NFL officials stepped in at the critical moment.

NFL referees’ controversial flag in Texans vs. Chargers, explained

At the time of the flag, it wasn’t hard to find criticism.

On the Sunday morning, the day after, NFL Network sent out Walt Anderson to explain why it was the right call.

To briefly summarize, one key point from Anderson: “Once they (receivers) go five yards, defensive players have got to let them freely run their route.”

Good explanation here from Walt Anderson on the illegal contact call in #Texans-#Chargers. pic.twitter.com/aIN99VQfGN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2025

Anderson tacked on many bonus points, such as illegal contact being unique to the NFL, more than a decade old and a key component that has allowed passing games to evolve.

And it’s all window-dressing that attempts to skip over the real problem: The timing of the flag. NFL officiating is erratic and left to the judgment of the individual referee. This crew decided to insert itself into a division and conference-deciding play on a tick-tack call.

Some crews let contact go. Others don’t. Some are erratic and all over the place, which leaves wiggle room for doubt about intentions and/or ability to seep into things.

Note to DBs: This stupid rule expects you to run away from the WR waving a white flag before he runs up on you. pic.twitter.com/bYXOvYwmtg
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) December 28, 2025

And on this play in particular, one can see the Texans receiver lunge forward to initiate the contact. They’re also jumbled crossing routes attempting to pick defenders and give them another shot at the flag atop a completion.

The Chargers defender needs to not fall for what is essentially flag bait. But NFL officiating could be miles better and more consistent, too. The post-game fallout attempting to justify it only makes it worse.

This is why teams like the Chargers can’t afford to miss chances to put games away and leave things in the hands of officials when it matters most.

But the fact the NFL is more worried about justifying that teams seem to need to avoid letting their officials matter in key moments than actually fixing the gross refereeing problem is a super unfortunate downside about the sport.

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