There are often controversial moments in every football game. That’s definitely true in the NFL, even though there seem to be cameras and an extra set of eyes everywhere. Yet, somehow, there are still calls that get missed. Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks may have been on the wrong end of the stick in Monday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears.

Shortly after the Bears-Seahawks game ended, NFL referee Shawn Smith was asked about a trio of controversial plays that many spectators didn’t agree with. His responses will surely catch some by surprise.

NFL Ref Says Crew Didn’t See Illegal Contact on Sliding Sam Darnold

There were three plays in particular that reporters were itching to talk to Monday night’s ref crew about.

Seattle’s third offensive play of the game, when Seahawks receiver Tory Horton got blasted on a 3rd-and-5. Some felt like Bears cornerback Cam Lewis lowered his head and made forcible contact with his helmet, which would have drawn a 15-yard penalty. Only that’s not what was called on the field.

Smith said, “There was no forcible contact to the head and neck area of the receiver.”

Because no flag was thrown for forcible head or neck contact, replay assistance could not add that foul. Had officials thrown an unnecessary-roughness flag based solely on such contact, replay assistance could have removed it if clear video showed the contact did not occur.

Levy’s first-and-goal assertion is incorrect; a 15-yard defensive foul from the Seattle 37 would have given the Seahawks a first down around the Chicago 48. But that’s not all. Smith was also asked about another key moment, when Darnold took off scrambling on a 3rd-and-8 in the first quarter. The Seahawks’ QB gave himself up by sliding when a Bears defender came crashing in, making contact with Darnold on the way down.

However, this was another point of controversy. Once Darnold began his slide, he was entitled to protection, though NFL rules do not make every instance of contact with a sliding runner a 15-yard foul. But again, that’s not what the ref crew saw.

“He was scrambling and became a runner,” Smith said. ” We didn’t see any contact to his head and neck area when he hit the ground. Once he gave himself up, we didn’t see that on the field.”

Smith backed that up by saying, “The runner becomes defenseless once he starts to slide and he can’t be hit in the head or neck area.”

He was then asked whether Darnold “slid late.” But Smith retorted, “I did not say that.”

Meanwhile, here’s the play in question.

Lastly, Smith was asked about Jaxon Smith-Njigba being called for offensive pass interference in the third quarter.

“We had the receiver with a full extension in the chest of the defender. His elbow locked, and that’s kind of what we look for, that we get a full extension.”

Once again, here was the play in question.

While it doesn’t look like there’s much there, a referee was standing in close proximity with a clear shot at the play.

It may have seemed questionable at the time, but based on Smith’s comments in the post-game ref pool report, the ref made the right call in real time, even if not everyone agrees.