[CT1]

Originally Posted by ajmc

Tough call. It happened so fast. Did the defender have time to actually "target" the hit, or was it a pure reaction to his proximity and/or the movement of the receiver? The ground level, calling official who made the call in real time, may have observed something from his level, film doesn't show (which is NOT unusual).

Film can be a great learning tool regarding positioning and preparation for leading up to what's about to happen or what may have been missed, but it's NOT infallible.

But that’s just the point — no on-field official saw this as targeting. The call was made from the booth using “not infallible” replay.