Bengals-Raiders game officials not expected to work in knockout again after controversial encounter
Referee Jerome Boger and the executive team that worked on Saturday’s AFC wild card game between the Bengals and the Raiders are not expected to catch another game after the NFL season this year, according to ESPN.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Boger’s team were not expected to receive a high score after calling a game marked by a controversial touchdown late in the first half – a match that proved the difference in the end. in a 26-19 victory over Las Vegas. Schefter reports that the NFL typically picks its Super Bowl official team from the divisional rounds, but teams that score high enough during the convention weekend can call the Super Bowl.
THAN: NFL VP says officials made no mistake in refereeing the Bengals vs. Raiders
The NFL has drawn some criticism for creating patchwork teams for the post-season, picking officials from different teams and asking them to work together for the first time when stakes are highest. Despite that, Boger’s team was heavily criticized for blowing a final call that led to a Bengals encounter that should not have been taken into account.
The official foul came at halftime’s two-minute warning, as the Bengals faced third and fourth from the Raiders’ 9-yard line. Full-back Joe Burrow rolled to the right to avoid pressure, bouncing a pass for Tyler Boyd in the bottom half of the field just before he stepped off the touchline. A referee accidentally blew his whistle while the ball was still in the air, seemingly stopping the Raiders defenders and leading to an easier goal.
THAN: Raiders-Bengals wild card game officials let fans on both sides down
After summoning, Boger’s crew allowed the call to continue. According to the NFL’s senior vice president of running Walt Anderson, the reason behind the decision was that the crew believed the whistle was blown after Boyd caught a pass in the backfield area (replays show this. This is incorrect). Anderson also added that erroneous whistles cannot be considered under NFL rules.
However, the NFL’s rules are very clear about the rule of blowing the wrong whistle during a live game: “(W) when a referee blows the wrong whistle while the ball is still in play, the ball will die instantly.”
THAN: NFL tries to explain early whistle in Bengals-Raiders wild card game, instead adding confusion
The play should have been called a stalemate, with officials present in Cincinnati with one of two options: Redo the shot or receive the ball where the whistle blew. Considering Burrow is a pitch behind the script boundary when he pitches, the Bengals are likely to take the shot again.
Regardless, the play went well, giving Cincinnati a 20-6 lead. Las Vegas was able to score quickly before halftime, taking a 20-13 lead. Neither team scored a single more goal, trading two goals in the second half for the Bengals for a controversial 26-19 win.
The 4 seeded Bengals await their next opponent, just see if the 2 seeded Captain can beat the 7 seeded Steelers in “Sunday Night Football”. If the captain wins, the Bengal team will head to Nashville to face the AFC top-seeded Titans, who are expecting to bring back Derrick Henry for the first time since October 31, 2021. get sad, Cincinnati will travel to face the 3-seeded Bills, winning 47-17 over the Patriots.
