Regular officials blow another big call against the Green Bay Packers

On Monday, the scab referees botched a call that cost Green Bay a game. Six days, the regular ones almost did it again.

New Orleans Saints kick returner Darren Sproles clearly fumbled on a kickoff after Green Bay had taken a 28-27 fourth-quarter lead, but officials ruled Sproles down by contact.

Green Bay couldn't have officials review the call because Mike McCarthy had no challenges remaining.

Packers fans, who had given the regular refs a standing ovation before the game, now jeered, chanting a dismissive expletive en masse. Mild-mannered Packers fans forced to use profanity!

For the rest of the drive, it looked as if New Orleans could be on its way to handing Green Bay its second-consecutive ref-aided loss. But a holding call on Garrett Hartley's successful go-ahead 38-yard attempt wiped points off the board and forced the Saints kicker to try from 48. He missed that kick; the Packers ran out the clock, and another officiating mistake became a footnote.

The NFL sort of had this coming. They put Jeff Triplette's crew in Green Bay for the first nationally televised Sunday game with the regular officials back. Jeff Triplette in such a high-profile role is begging for disaster. It's like asking Janet Jackson to come back and do the Super Bowl halftime show.