In their 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, the Green Bay Packers looked even worse than their box score suggested. Fifteen flags flew in U.S. Bank Stadium in this matchup; 12 came against the Packers, three of which may have cost them the game.

Leading 22-17 in the fourth quarter with about 13 minutes left in regulation, Green Bay forced a 10-yard sack, an incompletion, and an end-zone pick on three different third downs in a single Minnesota drive. But referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew flagged Green Bay on all three third downs, handing Minnesota fresh sets of downs that sparked a 22-point unanswered run. This sequence triggered immediate pushback from former Packers All-Pro offensive tackle David Bakhtiari.

“Shawn Hochuli reffing: Horrendous,” Bakhtiari fired off on X. “Shawn Hochuli public speaking: Politician worthy. Dude loves him, some him.”

The controversy centered on Minnesota’s nine-play, 83-yard scoring march. On a 3rd-and-11 from the Vikings’ 17-yard line, Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and DT Devonte Wyatt landed a 10-yard sack on quarterback Carson Wentz, but officials flagged safety Javon Bullard for illegal contact against Vikings WR Jauan Jennings.

On the next third down – a 3rd-and-3 with 9:12 left in regulation – officials flagged DT Chris McClellan for roughing the passer. Replays showed McClellan placing his hands down to stop his body weight from falling on Wentz, prompting CBS broadcast analyst J.J. Watt and rules expert Gene Steratore to criticize the call on air.

The final flag wiped out a turnover on 3rd-and-5 with 6:49 left on the clock. Safety Evan Williams intercepted Wentz in the end zone, but officials called safety Xavier McKinney for defensive holding away from the throw. Aaron Jones scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown on the next snap, and Minnesota converted a two-point attempt to take a 25-22 lead.

In the face of these penalties, Bakhtiari wasn’t the only one airing his frustrations. Sports reporter Mason Raeck also questioned Hochuli’s calls and the standard of NFL officiating, publicly asking the league to look into the crew’s decisions.

“NFL referees make way too much money to screw up like Shawn Hochuli did today. I need an investigation @NFL,” Raeck wrote on X, under an AI overview screengrab of Hochuli’s estimated pay.

Before this, Raeck also fired off a series of posts calling out the crew, noting that the “Packers win this game if it weren’t for the awful officiating.” As for the team, Evan Williams spoke directly about the defensive frustrations of generating multiple third-down stops only to see them get taken away.

“That’s naturally very frustrating as a defense trying to get off the field multiple times, to feel like you’re getting a stop every time and you’re putting yourself in a good position with third-and-longs,” Williams said postgame. “Winning first and second down, and then giving them a bailout at the end of those drives is definitely frustrating.”

Now, the high penalty volume on Sunday is not an isolated occurrence for Hochuli’s crew, which has developed a league-wide reputation for frequent whistles and strict enforcement standards. Before the Packers-Vikings game, Acme Packing Company noted that Hochuli’s officiating crew finished among the top-four crews across the entire league in penalties called per game for two straight seasons. While some refs allow physical defensive play in high-leverage situations, this group has consistently maintained a low threshold for contact in the secondary, resulting in a lot of automatic first downs on 3rd and 4th downs.

This trend actually reached its peak last season, when Hochuli’s crew had 10 or more accepted penalties in 16 of its 17 regular-season games, with the clash between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos being the sole exception with eight flags. The constant stoppages disrupted tempo and drew scrutiny from coaches around the league who struggled to keep up with the crew’s tight whistle. But none of this means the Green Bay Packers were perfect in Week 1.

12 flags are an alarming concern on their own, but Green Bay committed its own late-game breakdowns, turning the ball over and failing to generate offensive answers once the Vikings got the lead. Right after that 83-yard drive, the Packers recovered their own fumble, only for Jordan Love to be strip-sacked on the next snap. Minnesota’s linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel recovered the ball and ran it all the way to Green Bay’s 1-yard line, adding another 7 points on the board on the next snap by Minnesota.

If the Packers still have a chance on the next possession, cornerback James Pierre intercepted Love on a short middle pass, setting the Vikings up for another touchdown to bring their lead up to 39-22.

Still, fans, analysts, and former players cannot help but wonder if the Packers could have held on to their 22-17 lead had it not been for the officiating. Whether you call it a refereeing blunder or a problem with the Packers’ offense, this game is in the books. Green Bay had chances to stop the Vikings, and now this collapse effectively shapes how they face the coming weeks.