The NFL has the worst officials of any professional sport. Once again they have blown a major call in the playoffs. Up by a TD in the first quarter, the NYG recovered a fumble by GB. After the commercial break, however, the ruling on the field of a fumble had somehow mysteriously been overruled, forcing the Giants to challenge the call. The replay confirmed that it was clearly a fumble, but the replay official denied the challenge. The Packers went on to score the tying TD. This was just another travesty in officiating during the playoffs.
Last week was even worse. There were not one but TWO inadvertent whistles that cost teams a turnover! An inadvertent whistle on a fumble lost by the Steelers let them keep the ball and score points. The officials almost cost Denver the game.
Incredibly, there was also an inadvertent whistle in the Lions/Saints game. Detroit was winning 14-7 when they recovered a N.O. fumble. But because an official blew a whistle before the play was over, even though the ball was recovered by the Lions, the Saints kept possession. If Detroit had rightly kept the ball and scored again to go up 21-7, it’s a completely different ballgame. The bogus whistle by the officials completely changed the momentum and the outcome of the game.
Atlanta also suffered at the hands of the officials. Early in the game they went for it on 4th and short. The officials spotted the ball and called for the chains. a minute or two later, right before the measurement was made, the head linesman moved the ball back about six inches, without any explanation or valid reason. Then the officials measured for the first down, and it was short of a first down by two inches. That one official’s action cost them possession of the football. The Falcon’s offense would likely have gone on to score. The delayed and unexplained move of the ball backwards right before the measurement changed the momentum and the outcome of the game.
So in 3 out of 4 playoff games, the officials made startling, highly suspicious bogus decisions that cost the rightful team possession of the ball. Every year, beginning the year of the tuck rule (i.e. the Oakland/New England game), officials have blown a call that has given the win to the wrong team in at least one playoff game.
