Kendrick Bourne claims refs blew key call in OT of Patriots-Packers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots fell just short of upsetting the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, and Kendrick Bourne believes the officials played a role in their demise.
The Patriots faced a third-and-5 at Green Bay's 46-yard line in overtime needing only a field goal to win when third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe threw an incomplete pass intended for tight end Hunter Henry. New England was forced to punt, and the Packers marched down the field on their next possession to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired in OT.
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Patriots-Packers takeaways: Zappe's upset bid falls just short in OT loss
If you ask Bourne, though, Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon should have been flagged for defensive holding in coverage of Bourne on that third-and-5.
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The replay appears to show Nixon grabbing Bourne's jersey in the top right corner of the screen, so this does look like a missed call. It was a big one, too: A 10-yard penalty would have given New England a first down at the Packers' 36-yard line, needing less than 10 yards to get in Nick Folk's comfortable field goal range.
This wasn't the first defensive holding penalty that's gone uncalled, however, and you could probably find several missed holding penalties on both sides in this game. The Patriots aren't in the excuse-making business, either, so we'd imagine they wouldn't love Bourne griping about the refs in a public forum.
Bourne caught just one pass for seven yards Sunday but did play 45 percent of New England's snaps, his highest snap share of the season to date. The 1-3 Patriots will look to bounce back next Sunday against the 1-3 Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium.
