NFL Referees Struggle Badly in Week 7, Impacting Game Outcomes
Last year, concerns about the NFL referee problem were raised multiple times. Poor officiating has led some fans to believe that the NFL is fixed. However, this season has shown some improvement, although it is far from perfect. Unfortunately, on Sunday of Week 7, the issue of NFL referees resurfaced in a significant way, with officials influencing the outcomes of several games, which is the last thing the NFL wants to see.
One of the worst examples occurred during the thrilling Cleveland Browns’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts. This game featured an incredible eight lead changes, the most in an NFL game in four years. However, many people question whether the eighth lead change should have happened at all. Referees called questionable penalties on the Colts defense not once, but twice, ultimately allowing the Browns to score the game-winning touchdown.
The first controversial call was an illegal contact penalty on a third-and-4 play where the Colts sacked Browns QB PJ Walker for a 13-yard loss. Without that penalty, the chances of Cleveland scoring were not good. The second call was a pass interference that moved the ball from second-and-goal at the 8-yard line to first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Both calls went against the Colts and were highly questionable.
Another major call occurred in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ road upset win over the Los Angeles Rams. Instead of attempting a 56-yard field goal, Pittsburgh decided to go for a fourth-and-1 from the Los Angeles 39-yard line. Quarterback Kenny Pickett ran a sneak play that clearly did not reach the line-to-gain for a first down. However, NFL referees ruled that he did, despite clear evidence to the contrary.
The problem with this ruling was that the Rams had used all of their timeouts, and the play occurred just before the two-minute warning. As a result, there was no opportunity to initiate instant replay, which likely would have reversed the call. If the referees had made the correct ruling, the Rams would have taken over the football at that spot, trailing by a touchdown. While we can’t say for certain if they would have won the game, we do know that the ruling effectively ended the game, as the Steelers kneeled three times and secured the victory.
Games cannot end in such a manner. While I personally don’t believe the NFL is rigged, I understand why some people think it is, and the biggest reason is the inconsistency and questionable decisions made by NFL referees.
Follow Dan Zaksheske on X – formerly known as Twitter: @RealDanZak
