Carroll: Referees played 'huge part' in shutout loss
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll isn't happy with the officiating in Sunday's 17-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
"(The officials) were such a big part of the game," Carroll said Monday, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com. "They were a huge part of the game yesterday."
One of the calls Carroll took issue with came in the second quarter after Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers fumbled the snap. Both Rodgers and Seahawks defensive lineman Darrell Taylor lunged for the ball, and Taylor appeared to grab it before Rodgers. However, officials ruled Rodgers had simultaneous possession with Taylor, which kept the ball with Green Bay despite Carroll challenging the ruling.
"Darrell is laying on top of the football and the quarterback was reaching underneath him," the coach said. "Darrell had it from the moment that ball's on the ground. He got his chest on the ball and was laying on it ... He's laying on the ground and the guy's reaching underneath him and they gave it to the offense and that's a big play."
Carroll also thinks the referees erred in awarding Packers cornerback Kevin King an interception in the third quarter. With Green Bay leading 3-0, King caught Russell Wilson's pass intended for D.K. Metcalf in the end zone but appeared to lose control of the ball after being tackled.
"Russ throws the interception in the end zone, I don't know, I see the ball on the ground," Carroll said. "The guy's got to finish the catch and I don't know why that was looked at in that manner. They called it, they saw it and all that. But that's points on the board. Russ took a chance right there and it didn't work out for us. We were right down there to kick a field goal."
Wilson, who hadn't played since Week 5 due to a finger injury, struggled in his return, completing just 20 of 40 pass attempts for 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
It's the first time Seattle has been shut out with Wilson as the starter. The Packers limited the Seahawks to just 208 total yards and 15 first downs.
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