NFL head of officials Dean Blandino said Monday that the non-call on pass interference against Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens was debatable, but holding definitely should have been called on the play.

Blandino, speaking on NBC Sports Radio's "Pro Football Talk Live," said the officiating crew erred by announcing a penalty and then picking up the flag. Ideally, he said, the crew would have discussed the play and then announced that there was no penalty on the play. If the crew had handled the situation in this manner, "it would have mitigated some of the response to this," he said.

Blandino said that when he reviewed the play, it appeared as a "judgment call that could have gone either way." But he saw a clear "jersey grab" by Hitchens that should have resulted in a defensive holding call that "should have been called."

The 5-yard defensive holding call would have given the Lions a first down, as the play came on a Matthew Stafford pass on third-and-1 from the Dallas 46. The Lions lined up on fourth down but eventually punted after failing to draw the Cowboys offside. Dallas scored the eventual winning points in the 24-20 wild-card win on the ensuing drive.

There has been debate about whether the makeup of the officiating crew in the playoffs, where "All-Star" crews are put together for the games, helped to cause the confusion on the play. Blandino said he doesn't think "that was ultimately the factor that led to this situation happening." He said there are "pros and cons" to having All-Star crews versus the crews that have worked together the entire season, but in the end it's a moot point because "most of these officials have worked together at some point in their career."