The Jerome Boger-led officiating crew made an incorrect call during the second quarter of Saturday’s AFC Wild Card Game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL’s explanation for the blunder was almost just as bad as the miscue itself.
NFL senior V.P. of officiating Walt Anderson, during a pool report after Cincinnati’s 26-19 victory, said the erroneous whistle took place after Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Burrow.
“We confirmed with the referee and the crew that on that play — they got together and talked — they determined that they had a whistle, but that the whistle for them on the field was blown after the receiver caught the ball,” Anderson said, as shared by Pro Football Talk.
Wait, they didn’t think the whistle was blown while the ball was in the air?
“That’s correct,” Anderson added. “They did not feel the whistle was blown before the receiver caught the ball.”
That’s just objectively wrong.
There is video evidence posted by the league’s official Twitter account which proves the whistle was before the ball was caught. On the controversial play, Burrow rolled to his right and unleashed the pass on third-and-four for a touchdown to Boyd.
The rule indicates if a whistle is blown while the ball is in the air, the play is dead at that moment and then there is a replay of down. The ruling on the field was a touchdown and Anderson confirmed that specific play is not able to be reviewed. It undeniably benefited the Bengals, perhaps leading to four extra points in a game that was decided by seven.
