NFL Players Shred 'All-Star' Officiating Crew During 'MNF' Game
Monday night on ESPN, the pro football world witnessed one of the wildest, most exciting, flat-out greatest games of professional football ever played.
The Los Angeles Rams played host to the Kansas City Chiefs in what may well have been a Super Bowl preview, and the 54-51 final score set a record for the most points scored by a team that lost the game.
Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Jared Goff of the Rams combined to throw for 891 yards, the teams overall gained over a thousand yards of total offense, and the game featured four lead changes in the fourth quarter.
Plus, the Rams’ defense came up huge late in the game, holding the lead that became the final score by not once but twice picking off Mahomes as he tried to lead the Chiefs on a game-winning drive in the final 1:44 of regulation.
Trouble was, all that scoring wasn’t just due to player skill. The NFL assembled an “all-star” officiating crew, led by referee Clete Blakeman, that thoroughly imposed itself on the action to the benefit of the two offenses.
Several current and former players called out the officials on social media.
Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman were among those who suggested the refs had a major influence on that basketball score.
Soft PI call.
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) November 20, 2018
Smh they just want points https://t.co/MnzktCXI68
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) November 20, 2018
The cavalcade of angry defensive backs watching at home also included longtime NFL veteran Jerraud Powers …
Refs gotta let DBs and WRs play through some stuff…..every pass play they throwing a flag
— Jerraud Powers (@JPowers25) November 20, 2018
… and retired safety Bernard Pollard.
Offensive league brotha…
— Bernard Pollard Jr (@Crushboy31) November 20, 2018
The officials were certainly flag-happy, calling 21 penalties — 13 of which were against the Chiefs — for a total of 195 penalty yards.
While each individual member of the officiating crew may be a fine official when working normally, throwing this group hastily together only made them act with no synergy or coordination out there.
Even when the NFL wins, it loses. Commissioner Roger Goodell ought to just tattoo a bullseye on his foot at this point so he’ll have something to shoot at.
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