The Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday by a final score of 38-17, however a very controversial ruling before halftime could have changed the entire game.

With just nine seconds left in the half, Jay Cutler connected with Martellus Bennett on an “8 yard pass” that fell just short of the goal line… but did it?

Check out the video here:

The referees ruled that Bennett was down by contact on the field, that ruling was upheld because the Packers’ player prevented the camera from getting the angle Fox needed to ensure the ball crossed the goal line.

Of course there’s no other angle to assist the referees, so they uphold the ruling on the field because there was no clear evidence Bennett crossed the goal line. However, a few days later … there is.

Check out this photo posted to Reddit:

Outside of the quality loss due to enlarging, the picture clearly shows that Bennett got the ball over the plane of the goal line before the half ended. In this specific instance, the refs acted correctly…there was no clear evidence available that Bennett scored when they reviewed the play, but where the hell did this picture come from? There was obviously evidence somewhere.

This Isn’t The First Time

This is just like the play last year vs. the Packers, the refs let them snap the ball with zero time left on the clock and they converted a 4th and 1. If the penalty would have been called, the Packers would have punted which could have changed the game… instead the Bears lost 33-28 on this final drive.

Why This Matters So Much?

Yes, the Chicago Bears lost by more than two touchdowns, but this play would have given the Bears the lead heading into halftime, instead they were down 21-17. If the Chicago Bears had the lead at halftime it could have changed everything in the second half, from the coaching schemes to the offensive play calling.

With all the negative things that happened in the game for Chicago, this was the tip of the iceberg.

Figure it out NFL!