Bears receiver Cordarrelle Patterson thought he made a perfect special teams play Sunday against the Packers when he hit punt returner Tramon Williams just as the ball arrived, forcing a fumble that the Bears recovered. The officials saw it differently.
Patterson was flagged for kick catch interference, a very costly penalty that gave the ball back to Green Bay. Replays appeared to show that Patterson timed his hit perfectly and didn’t hit Williams until the ball arrived, although Patterson easily could have been flagged for lowering his helmet to initiate contact with Williams.
Patterson, who also thought he made a catch later in the game that the officials ruled incomplete, said afterward that he wonders what he needs to do to get on the officials’ good side.
‘‘I don’t know what I did to the refs this week,’’ Patterson said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Somebody told me I need to start bringing them donuts and stuff before the game. Next week, I’m going to have to bring some hot chocolate and all that stuff.’’
Patterson said his phone was blowing up with people telling him he got jobbed by the officials. Bears coach Matt Nagy, asked what he thought of the officiating, said he wasn’t going to comment, seeming to want to avoid getting fined.