The New England Patriots failed to beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, and Kendrick Byrne believes officials played a role in their deaths.
The Patriots faced a three-and-five at Green Bay’s 46-yard line in overtime when three point guard Bailey Zappe threw an incomplete pass to tight end Hunter Henry. It takes a shot to win. New England was forced to fold the ball and the Packers marched down the field on their next possession, kicking a winning field goal when overtime expired.
Patriots-Packers takeaway: Zappe’s failed bid slightly falls short in OT losses
If you ask Bourne, though, Packers cornerback Kaysen Nixon should be flagged as defending in Game 3 and 5 coverage of Bourne.
Replays appear to show Nixon grabbing Byrne’s jersey in the upper right corner of the screen, so it looks like a missed call. It was a big deal, too: The 10-yard penalty put New England in the lead at the Packers’ 36-yard line, requiring less than 10 yards to get into Nick Folk’s comfortable shooting range.
However, this isn’t the first defensive penalty kick that hasn’t been called, and you’re likely to find a couple of misses on both sides in this game. The Patriots aren’t making excuses either, so we don’t think they’ll appreciate Burn’s complaints about referees in public forums.
Bourne caught just one 7-yard pass Sunday, but did hit 45 percent of New England’s fast break, his highest share so far this season. The 1-3 Patriots take on the 1-3 Detroit Lions next Sunday at Gillette Stadium.