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NFL Fans Are Not Happy With Shaky Officiating On Championship Sunday

By James Rodgers

January 30, 2023


The stage is set for Super Bowl LVII between the Eagles and the Chiefs, but NFL officiating had a very bad day on Championship Sunday. On Twitter, many NFL fans voiced their displeasure with the officiating in the AFC Championship Game. The NFC title game also had some questionable calls—and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was understandably angry several times throughout the loss at Philadelphia—but fan reaction was loudest for the Bengals-Chiefs matchup.

 

There were questionable calls throughout both games. The most notable stretch came in the fourth quarter of the Bengals’ three-point loss at Arrowhead. Among the controversial calls/non-calls:

 

-A missed potential roughing-the-passer where Frank Clark pushed Joe Burrow well after he threw the ball. It didn’t have to be called, but these types of calls have become too arbitrary, and much worse has been called to protect quarterbacks. It was arguably just as bad as Joseph Ossai pushing Patrick Mahomes out of bounds to help put KC in field goal position to win it—and that was a play where Ossai was desperate to prevent Mahomes from getting extra yardage.

 

-A clear hands-to-the-face on Chris Jones on the play where Burrow was called for a debatable intentional grounding. The grounding call was one of many that angered Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.

 

-At least one, and arguably two, missed block-in-the-back calls on the huge punt return by Skyy Moore before the Chiefs’ game-winning drive.

 

-Arguably multiple holds on Mahomes’ final clutch third-down scramble—capped by the Ossai penalty to put the Chiefs into field goal range.

 

It was a tough stretch for the Bengals—and that’s not to mention the crazy mulligan-type third-and-nine where officials were unable to blow the play dead and then a questionable penalty on the Bengals gave the Chiefs a first down. (The Bengals did force a punt that drive, but the complexion of things can change based on moments like that—we don’t know—and the same can be said for the DeVonta Smith non-catch in the first game. Furthermore, it is odd it took so long for the officials to determine to replay the down after the punt team was on the field waiting to play.)

 

No matter what you think would have happened (Kansas City might have won anyway), the Bengals and their fans have a right to be mad. Also keep in mind that a poor holding call on linebacker Logan Wilson late in last year’s Super Bowl arguably cost Cincy a championship.

 

Here’s some of the Twitter reaction from yesterday evening’s game, including from former star cornerback and current Amazon analyst Richard Sherman:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kansas City easily could have won the game even if the questionable late-game calls didn’t go their way. We’ll never really know what would have happened. Regardless, the events of yesterday were a very poor look for the National Football League. Especially in an era of wide sports betting and a ton of money on the line for powerful parties—and in an age of countless conspiracy theories—NFL officiating simply must get better so that these conversations don’t feel worth having.