NFL head of officials Dean Blandino said Monday that the non-call on pass interference against Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens was debatable, but holding definitely should have been called on the play.

Blandino, speaking on NBC Sports Radio's "Pro Football Talk Live," said the officiating crew erred by announcing a penalty and then picking up the flag. Ideally, he said, the crew would have discussed the play and then announced that there was no penalty on the play. If the crew had handled the situation in this manner, "it would have mitigated some of the response to this," he said.

Blandino said that when he reviewed the play, it appeared as a "judgment call that could have gone either way." But he saw a clear "jersey grab" by Hitchens that should have resulted in a defensive holding call that "should have been called."