The talk of the Bengals-Raiders Wildcard Round playoff game Saturday night was that of Cincinnati finally getting the monkey off their back following an agonized 31-year playoff victory drought. The second conversation was in regard to the officiating crew, who some said aided in that happening.
In what seemed like a game where every play was challenged, flagged or reviewed, one glaring play stood out as the worst, when officials prematurely blew a whistle in the middle of Bengals play that resulted in a touchdown. Despite the whistle clearly being blown before the catch, the refs incorrectly upheld the score (whether the Bengals were going to score on that play regardless or not)
Each officiating crew is graded by the league office following every game, and with low marks incoming, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the NFL likely will punish the Jerome Boger-led crew by not allowing them to work another postseason game this year, including any possible shot at working Super Bowl 56.
