The New England Patriots had a pretty good day Sunday, as they beat the Saints 25-19 for a third straight victory. But the officiating crew assigned to the game did not have a good day.

Adrian Hill and his crew threw several questionable flags Sunday afternoon in New Orleans, none of which were bigger than the offensive pass interference call on Stefon Diggs late in the first quarter. The flag negated a 61-yard touchdown pass by Drake Maye to DeMario Douglas, and took six points off the board for the Patriots.

The play happened on a third-and-2 late in the first quarter. Maye bought some time by dancing around in the pocket before he stepped back and went deep to Douglas. The receiver hauled in the pass and then made a great spin move to shed a tackler before taking it to the house for a 61-yard touchdown.

Douglas and the Patriots were celebrating in the end zone when a flag hit the field late. The infraction? Offensive pass interference on Diggs.

Diggs and New Orleans corner Kool-Aid McKinstry were engaged in some hand-fighting, but nothing that would warrant a pass interference on either side. They weren't even involved in the play, but the refs threw a flag and hit Diggs for a costly OPI.

The call incensed New England head coach Mike Vrabel, who let officials know his displeasure from the sideline. The Patriots were essentially lining up on the field for an extra point when the penalty was announced.

NFL official explains late call on Diggs' OPI

The late nature of the call set off a lot of fans on social media. Hill explained to the pool reporter after the game that was all part of the protocol.

"On that play, we ruled blocking downfield by No. 8 early during the play. So, if there is a situation where a player blocks downfield, it's not a foul until a pass is thrown," Hill explained to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss. "So you kind of put that in the bank. And then the pass was thrown downfield later, that created the offensive pass interference.

Had Maye taken off for a scramble on the play, no flag would have been thrown. But when the quarterback went downfield to Douglas, out came the flag.

The zebras didn't help their cause during the game though. On the very next play, Saints corner Quincy Riley was called for defensive pass interference that set the New England offense up at the 50-yard line. It was clearly a makeup call, and it wasn't the last time the officiating left viewers -- and the Patriots and Saints -- scratching their heads.

More questionable calls during Patriots-Saints

The Patriots' offense didn't let that first bad call derail its drive. TreVeyon Henderson picked up 20 yards on the three plays after the New Orleans DPI, and Maye hit Kayshon Boutte for a 25-yard touchdown to end the drive and give New England a 14-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

Then in the fourth quarter, the officiating bit Diggs again. He hauled in a beautiful 53-yard reception along the sideline that would have helped the Patriots blow the game open, but it was stricken from the record books when Diggs was flagged for another OPI.

Another very questionable OPI for Sunday's crew. The Patriots essentially had 113 yards and a touchdown taken off the board because of those two calls.

Diggs' penalty was the third straight flag on the Patriots early in the fourth quarter, which led to the team punting the ball away.

After the game, Diggs wasn't too bothered by the calls.

"I haven't gotten to watch it yet. Hopefully I get some eyes on it soon. But I'm a receiver so I'll always say it didn't happen. We'll see how it goes; I wish they could take it back," he said. 

"Everyone has a job to do. We don't get them all right," he added. "I don't cry over spilled milk."

Mike Vrabel wins two challenges in fourth quarter

On New Orleans' next drive, Vrabel had to use a challenge to get a fumble for his defense. With the Saints driving, down 25-19, Spencer Rattler hit tight end Juwan Johnson over the middle for a first down. Christian Elliss came in and punched the ball out of Johnson's grasp, but the tight end was ruled down before the ball came loose.

Vrabel saw it differently and threw the red flag. After a lengthy review, the call was reversed and the Patriots were given possession. Vrabel won another challenge ahead of the two-minute warning when officials ruled that Boutte was pushed out of bounds after a 21-yard reception, which would have stopped the clock for the Saints. 

But Vrabel won his second straight challenge and the clock kept ticking all the way to the two-minute warning. The Patriots took the victory formation the next time they snapped the ball, and walked off the field with a third straight win.

"I don't think you ever really know nowadays," Vrabel said of his confidence in his two challenges. "Just trying to be as smart as we possibly can and we felt like those were plays that could help us."

The Patriots not only beat the Saints on Sunday, but showed a lot of poise as they overcame some questionable officiating throughout the win.