The Carolina Panthers have not had much go in their favor on Saturday as far as penalty flags are concerned, so much so that the ESPN broadcast crew keeps acknowledging that they're getting the short straw.
The worst came on a Tetairoa McMillan offensive pass interference penalty on a big play in the third quarter.
Bryce Young hit McMillan down the field on third down for their biggest passing game gain of the day.
But it was called back for an OPI.
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This is what happened:
This feels like a soft OPI call on Tetairoa McMillan. Don’t like it at all.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 3, 2026
Pic.twitter.com/IWCuxcyq3h
Pretty much no one was a fan.
ESPN's Ben Solak said this:
Many many receivers use that throw by and don’t get flagged and McMillan gets the flag because he is just much stronger than most receivers.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 3, 2026
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ESPN's officiating analyst agreed with his guys in stripes on the field, as usually happens.
This ref analyst cannot be serious. Come on, man.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) January 3, 2026
Carolina couldn't convert the ensuing third-and-long and had to punt.
It was a brutal moment for the Panthers.
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