Refs Steal the Show
Too many games end this way. The missed calls. It’s so frustrating for the fans. – Al Michaels
The Bengals-Ravens game on Thursday Night Football was marred by officiating errors, but none more egregious than the blown calls when Cincinnati went for the pivotal two-point conversion at the end of the game.
Blind, Deaf, Be an NFL Ref
If you’ve watched your fair share of NFL games this season, then you understand that the players aren’t the only ones making NFL news. Anyone attempting to make NFL predictions or NFL picks this season has had to contend with a litany of officiating blunders.
🚨🚨🚨THREAD….🧵🧵🧵
THE REFS NOT CALLING FIVE OBVIOUS PENALTIES ON THE #RAVENS, SCREWING THE #BENGALS OVER TONIGHT.
Cincinnati would have won if not for the horrible refereeing.
1) Refs miss blatant roughing the passer stalling Cincy’s drive
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 8, 2024
Once again, the referees had a tough go of it and stole the spotlight by swallowing their whistles when it counted in a stellar Thursday night game between two fierce divisional rivals, the Bengals and the Ravens.
After a seesaw battle, Joe Burrow connected on a five-yard pass to his top target, Ja’Marr Chase, to pull within one. Instead of kicking the extra point, Bengals coach Zac Taylor decided to roll the dice and go for the two-point conversion. An argument can be made for and against that decision, but what can’t be debated is the disastrous officiating during Cincinnati’s final play.
There was not only one obvious Ravens’ penalty but three! That’s right, an entire officiating crew all looking at the same play, and not one of them could muster the temerity to blow a freakin’ whistle. I’ve seen penalties called for far less than any one of those three, but if the refs didn’t think the defensive holding on tight end Mike Gesicki was enough, then how about the early tackle on Burrow’s intended target, Tanner Hudson?
Not enough meat on the bone to throw a flag for either of those? Okay, well, let’s turn our attention to Joe Burrow getting thumped in the face by an oncoming freight train dressed in purple and gold as he unleashed his errant pass to Hudson. Seriously, not one referee noticed that?
The refs in this Bengals/Ravens game pic.twitter.com/jz0no13q2c
— Alterraun⚡ (@Hockfan445) November 8, 2024
Announcers Unload
Perhaps the worst part of this entire officiating fiasco was that this was a rare Thursday Night Football gem in a game with serious consequences, especially for the Bengals. Ja’Marr Chase’s stats were off the chain, as evidenced by his 11 catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
Joe Burrow launched four touchdown passes for 428 yards while his counter-number, Lamar Jackson, struck for 290 passing yards and four touchdowns of his own while connecting at a 75.7% clip. It was a masterclass by two of the best young gunslingers in the business, and it was all overshadowed by lousy officiating. What a shame.
I have to be honest; it gives me at least a little bit of solace that the guys calling the game were as outraged as the rest of us and weren’t afraid to speak their respective minds.
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 8, 2024
Amazon Prime analyst Kirk Herbstreit refused to bite his tongue and said in the aftermath, “That’s defensive holding, right there, that they should’ve called. Gesicki throwing his arms up right there, saying, ‘Where is the defensive holding call?'”
Unfiltered Al Michaels: “Too many games end this way. They just do. You miss calls. The whole thing. So frustrating for the fans. So frustrating.”pic.twitter.com/DkOH6xhnD2 https://t.co/HhCkRpvWVa
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 8, 2024
Veteran Al Michaels concurred with his broadcast partner and commented, “Too many games end this way. They just do. The missed calls. It’s so frustrating for the fans. So frustrating.”
“A lot of people are gonna be talking about both of those non-calls on the 2-point conversion,” Herbstreit said. “Every week,” Michaels replied.
The #Ravens got away with a defensive holding and a roughing the passer on the failed two-point conversion, Terry McAulay said on the broadcast. pic.twitter.com/NcWLiaChnR
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 8, 2024
“It was clearly defensive holding … and that does look like forcible contact to the head of the quarterback,” Amazon Prime rules analyst Terry McAulay said.
Joe Burrow, the man who was the victim of one of the obvious fouls, summed it up by saying, “I’ve never really gotten those calls.”
“I feel like I’ve never really got those calls, so I don’t really expect that.”#Bengals QB Joe Burrow on the missed calls on the final drive pic.twitter.com/rg6wWPXRWv
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) November 8, 2024
Comments (0)