In the third quarter of the New York-Denver Week 1 matchup, Giants head coach Joe Judge threw a challenge flag on an Albert Okwuegbunam touchdown, believing the Broncos tight end may have stepped out of bounds before scoring.
The problem with that: All scoring plays are automatically reviewed, meaning the Okwuegbunam TD was already looked at by replay and confirmed by the officiating crew. Throwing a challenge flag on a non-reviewable play cost the Giants a timeout, and the egregious error by the New York head coach was amplified.
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Judge explained his decision to throw the challenge flag after the loss:
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While Judge is unsure whether the call on the field was the correct one, the play itself was completely without controversy, as Okwuegbunam was clearly in bounds on the dive to the pylon.
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The Giants would lose their home opener 27-13, but the score wasn’t indicative of how beat they got in the second half: Daniel Jones rushed for a touchdown with time expiring to add six to the final score.
Consider it a sophomore mistake for Judge, but the Giants can ill afford those types of mistakes in a crucial year for the organization.
