The NFL replacement refs have clearly been out of their element for several weeks now.
The questions heading into Monday Night Football's matchup between the Packers and Seahawks were less about who would win the game and more about whether the refs would emerge from the nationally televised contest without another train wreck, like Sunday night's 24-penalty shovefest between the Patriots and the Ravens.
But, alas, a quiet night of football was not to be. The replacement refs gave up their finest fumble of the season Monday, blowing a last-minute play with indecision and an incorrect call. After weeks of speculation that the refs' ineptness would one day cost a team a game, the Packers were the first squad to take one on the chin thanks to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's insistence that a deal be worked out in the NFL's favor with the referees' union before the real officials can return to the field.
While the blown call Monday night was certainly egregious, it has many challengers in the pantheon of mistakes that have filled the replacement refs' time at the helm. The refs have been giving away yardage in chunks (five-yard penalty? 10-yard? Hey, why not just give the Redskins a couple of extra first downs?) and even having a little trouble with basic team names (Arizona versus Atlanta, and who doesn't want to play football in St. Louie?). As even formerly disgraced Lingerie Football League refs get a chance to leave their mark on America's most popular sport, the face-palms have been adding up quickly.
Bad calls, bad moments, bad refs — check out some of the best, with room on the list for more.
Click here to see the worst replacement refs moments so far this season>>
