Al Michaels slams overeager NFL refs for flagging 19 penalties for 257 yards in Cowboys' win over Seahawks: 'We're going to take the night off and left official Clete Blakeman call the game'

NFL referee Clete Blakeman and his officiating crew stole the show on Thursday night football, leaving veteran play-by-play announcer Al Michaels looking for something else to occupy his time. 

'We're going to take the rest of the night off and let Clete Blakeman call the game,' Michaels said following one of 19 penalties on Thursday night in Arlington, Texas. 'You buying?'

'Sure,' replied color commentator Kirk Herbstreit, facetiously agreeing to join Michaels for a drink.

The Cowboys' 41-35 win over the visiting Seattle Seahawks was entertaining, but many felt the frequent flags distracted from the action.

'The Clete Blakeman crew making a statement tonight,' longtime Dallas Morning News sportswriter Tim Cowlishaw wrote on X. 'Just not sure what it is…'

SeattleSports.com's Brandon Gustafson was equally baffled.

'It's not the only reason Seattle lost, but Clete Blakeman and his officiating crew should be ashamed of themselves for tonight,' Gustafson wrote on X. 'That was a joke (for both teams).'

Gustafson wasn't exaggerating the refs' impact on Thursday night.

Among the 19 penalties for 257 total yards were sis defensive pass interference calls. In fact, both teams surrendered a gain of at least 40 yards due to defensive pass interference flags.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll vented to the media after his team fell to 6-6.

'It's unfortunate that it feels like there was a whole 'nother factor in this game,' Carroll said unmprompted. 'I don't know, you guys saw it a lot better than I did, but there was just way too many penalties in this game, for both sides. We've got to get out of that kind of football.'

One crucial penalty occurred in the first quarter, when Seattle flagged for a delay of game as the Seahawks were lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt.

Carroll felt the penalty should have been nullified because officials did not reset the play clock when they re-spotted the ball.

The flag proved to be consequential as Jake Myers subsequently missed his ensuing 42-yard attempt.

Blakemen, however, disagreed when speaking to a pool reporter afterward.

'Following a play like that, third down going to fourth down, we have a process as it relates to transitioning the balls in and out, if the kicking team is coming out or not,' Blakeman said. 

'The scrimmage ball is transitioned out and the kicking ball is transitioned in. The umpire spots the ball. I'm dealing with eligibles reporting in and the kicking team in that regard. So, through this process, there was no real delay to either the scrimmage ball going out or the kicking ball coming in. It was just a normal process.

'Of course, at the end of the down the 40-second clock kicks in. We felt like there wasn't any undue delay in any way. It was a normal procedure.'

Later, Seattle was flagged for four crucial penalties on a single third-quarter drive, which ended with a Dallas touchdown.

The Cowboys improved to 9-3 with the victory.