Coming into Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season, only Ron Torbert's officiating crew (144) had called more penalties than Clete Blakeman's 129, and Blakeman's crew had that total in just eight games to Torbert's nine.
Unfortunately for the Cincinnati Bengals, Blakeman's crew fell several penalties short of what should have been called, and it may well have cost the Bengals a crucial divisional game.
With 38 seconds left in Cincinnati's game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals lined up for a two-point conversion attempt after Joe Burrow hit receiver Ja'Marr Chase on a five-yard touchdown pass. The Bengals had called a time out to re-investigate their formation, and in the end, Burrow's conversion pass to tight end Tanner Hudson did not connect.
Of course, there were other factors involved. It was clear on the play that Hudson was contacted by safety Ar'Darius Washington before the ball arrived. Also, there was a missed call for contact to Burrow's head. And tight end Mike Gesicki was held from going into his route on the other side of the formation.
These missed calls come just two weeks after another Thursday Night Football officiating disaster, when there was a missed face mask call on the Los Angeles Rams in their 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The corresponding "safety" gave the Rams two extra points, and the Vikings lost their chance to drive down the field and try their own two-point conversion for a tie.
It is utterly inexcusable for an officiating crew to miss that many calls on a single play that would have given the Bengals an opportunity to either try another two-point conversion, or decide to kick the extra point that would have tied the game at 35-35. But as announcer Al Michaels indicated, this stuff happens far too often, and there doesn't seem to be any real ramifications or improvements.
The Bengals are now 4-6, the Ravens are now 7-3, and we'll never know what those records should really be.
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