Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Stories

The NFL’s Officiating Problem: Highway Robbery in AFC Showdown

Credit-USA Today

Sunday evening saw a tight matchup between the top two teams in the AFC. A head-to-head, back and forth showcase of two Super Bowl contenders. What was shaping up to be a classic game quickly unfurled into a heavily disputed controversy.

With under 30 seconds remaining in the game, and no timeouts left, Ben Roethlisberger hit an open Jesse James for a 10-yard touchdown–or what looked like one. Although it appeared James had control of the football, it touched the ground as he was falling into the end zone.

When the referees came back from reviewing the replay, they overturned the call on the field. Incomplete pass. Rightly so, many people were scratching their heads.

Still, the Steelers had the ball and another shot to win the game. Down by 3 points, with no timeouts remaining, Roethlisberger hit his receiver in the flat. Tackled in bounds, the clock continued to run.

On 3rd and goal, Big Ben faked a spike and pump faked to his receiver. Instead of throwing it away and kicking a field goal to send it to overtime, he took a shot into traffic.

The ball was tipped by a Patriot defender and floated into the hands of Duron Harmon to seal the win for New England. With the help of officiating, and poor decision-making by a 14-year veteran QB, the Patriots snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

This seemingly miraculous turn of events, caused by the referees, was predicted by some NFL skeptics.

While the call can certainly be questioned, it was allegedly the right decision. ESPN was able to verify by digging deep into the NFL rulebook.

Regardless, a classic game was overshadowed by late-game referee shenanigans. It’s a shame that when reflecting on this battle of two NFL heavyweights, most will only recall the final 30 seconds.

Written By

Division III baseball alum (McDaniel College) and founder of Joker Mag. Sharing underdog stories to inspire the next generation.

Related

Football

"If I had to, I'd go back down that same road to get to where I am today."

Interviews

"There are millions of athletes with disabilities who have never had the opportunity to play baseball. We need to change that."

Facts

One player said "Even when I was little, I was big." Another lost 120 pounds since hanging up his pads.

Football

He used to slice gabagool at a Jersey deli. Now he's a Super Bowl champion who hopes no one knows his name.