TEMPE, Ariz. -- Even though a pass interference penalty during Sunday's game was declined, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson still thinks there needs to be more officials on the field.
"What I'm proposing to the league: We need more refs on the field to officiate the game if the back judge can't see the receivers, so now the DB is at a disadvantage," Peterson said during a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. "I almost think he's not refereeing the game properly. He's just not seeing the whole game, so we need more eyes to help these guys."
Early in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals' loss to the Miami Dolphins at State Farm Stadium, Peterson was flagged for defensive pass interference on a throw from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to DeVante Parker, though the wide receiver made the 17-yard catch anyway and the penalty was declined.
Peterson said the official who threw the flag said Peterson was holding Parker, an assertion the cornerback quickly disputed.
"I was like, I didn't touch him, like what do you mean I got a pass interference?'" Peterson said. "He said, 'Well, from my angle, it looked like you was engaged with him.' I'm like, 'What do you mean from your angle? You can't even see the receiver because you're right behind me.'"
Peterson said he has watched the play 30 times.
That was Peterson's only pass interference call of the season but his 24th since coming into the league in 2011 -- tied for second most in the NFL in that span. Only two, including the one Sunday, have been declined.
"I was in perfect coverage," Peterson said. "I never touched him and never poked him. I never did anything like that because I take PI very, very personally, especially if I know I did not have a PI.
"So we need more eyes on the field, Mr. Goodell, to get these games officiated better, because receivers get away with so much. They push off every route. The ref can never see it because the defender is blocking him. So if we want the game officiated to go evenly both ways, let's put more eyes on the field."