Goodell defends officials over lack of successful PI challenges

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn't too worried about the lack of successful pass interference challenges that has left coaches across the league frazzled.

"The thought process was to fix the obvious and clear error," he told reporters Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings.

Pass interference became reviewable at the beginning of the season following the 2018 NFC Championship Game debacle. Referees have come under fire for their hesitance thus far to change calls on the field that pertain to pass interference - even initial rulings that appeared obviously and clearly wrong.

Since Week 3, coaches are 1-for-21 on such challenges. For the entire season, they're 7-for-40.

Other officiating gaffes have drawn the ire of teams and fans throughout the first six weeks of the schedule. The most recent uproar came Monday night when four significant errors - including two phantom penalties - plagued the Detroit Lions in their loss to the Green Bay Packers.

"Officiating is always a focus for us," Goodell said. "... There's always a two- or three-week focus where there's an intense focus on it."

The commissioner added, "You never want to see a game where people are talking about officials afterward," but also conceded: "That's sports."

On Wednesday, Goodell also confirmed the NFL has discussed expanding the regular season to 17 games in collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the players' union.

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