During the Sunday night game tonight the San Diego Chargers got hosed out of an interception when referees rules that the interceptor went to the ground on his own rather than as a result of contact from a New England Patriot.

The call, clearly incorrect to anyone watching, apparently meant that the ground could in fact cause an incompletion as opposed to a tackle via contact when it can’t.

This particular mishap came at a point when the Chargers were dominating the game so it didn’t have an impact on the outcome, a 30-10 win. But forgive San Diego and coach Norv Turner for being sensitive to such situations. After all it was San Diego that lost a game after Ed Hochuli missed a call in week two in Denver when a clear fumble by Jay Cutler was ruled an incomplete pass.

Hochuli stepped up and took responsibility for the mistake. And to err is human, as they say. But while I rarely believe any game comes down to one play and the Chargers gave up 39 points in that game, a correct call does allow San Diego to run out the clock for a win.

The same fate befell the Detroit Lions this afternoon at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Late in the game, leading 10-9, the Lions’ Leigh Bodden was defending against Aundrae Allison. There was some contact but nothing that affected either player’s access to the ball. Yet Bodden was flagged for pass interference and a few minutes later Ryan Longwell was on the field, stealing the game away from Detroit with a last second field goal.

I don’t think Denver or Minnesota have to apologize for these particular victories. Throughout 60 minutes bad calls are going to happen. Despite instant replay human error is still a part of the game and it always will be. It is rare, however, that so many of these calls are happening late in games with so much on the line.

I’m not sure full-time referees are the answer. Just what exactly are you going to spend 40 hours a week doing with NFL officials? But something has to change. Some combination of aging, fitness and the speed of the game is keeping officials from making correct calls at important points during games. With as much money on the line as there is and with players making this a year-round profession the NFL can not afford to let these mistakes continue to happen.