The officials during the Cincinnati Bengals’ 26-19 playoff victory over the Las Vegas Raiders are coming under fire for a crucial call made during a first-half touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Tyler Boyd. The play should’ve been ruled dead after a referee incorrectly blew his whistle.
With 1:51 left in the first half, Joe Burrow rolled out of the pocket to his right and tossed a touchdown pass just before stepping out of bounds. One referee thought he saw Burrow step out and blew the play dead.
After review, the officials determined that Burrow stayed in bounds and ruled the play a touchdown.
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“They can’t have a touchdown on that play, by rule,” former NFL referee Terry McAulay said during the NBC broadcast.
The NFL’s Senior Vice President of Officiating, Walt Anderson, explained the call in an interview after the game.
“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.
Check out the controversial play below.
[Via]