Texans bailed out by bad pass interference call on Patriots at goal line

The New England Patriots appeared to come up with a big defensive stand early in their game against the Houston Texans, but a very questionable pass interference call changed that.

The Texans had 3rd-and-goal from the Patriots’ 5-yard line on Houston’s first drive of the game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. C.J. Stroud threw an incomplete pass, but Patriots safety Marte Mapu was called for pass interference. That gave the Texans a first down at the 1-yard line, and they scored two plays later.

Mapu was flagged for making contact with Houston tight end Dalton Schultz. The contact appeared to be within five yards from the line of scrimmage. Stroud’s pass also was intended for Tank Dell, not Schultz. You can see the play:

CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said he did not believe the contact from Mapu warranted a flag. Steratore added that the call was particularly puzzling since it was pass interference on a receiver who was not the intended target.

It looked like Houston caught a huge break and took advantage of it.

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