NFL Officials May Have Been Tipped Off By Tony Romo’s Comments About Delayed Penalty Flag In Chiefs-Titans Game

Getty Image

NFL officials have had a pathetic season (again), with plenty of questionable (or missed) calls being made in each and every game. While last year gave us the debacle of the infamous pass interference non-call in the NFC Championship Game — which cost the New Orleans Saints a chance to play for a Super Bowl — this year had less impactful penalties, but still plenty of confusion for those in black and white striped shirts on the football field.

Case in point? The AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans.

While NFL officials didn’t botch things up too bad to impact the overall outcome of the contest — even if there were some theories on social media based off a few calls against the Titans — anyone who watched the game on TV knows that there was one play that really confused referees; even though it came down to simply counting players on the field.

During the 4th quarter of a 35-24 game led by the Chiefs, NFL officials were late in throwing a penalty flag for the Titans having too many players on the field (12) on a play. Again, it should’ve been simple math — count the number of white helmets on the field and, boom, if there are more than the 11, throw a flag. Unfortunately, this took a long time for the refs to figure out, and CBS’ Tony Romo mocked officials for being so unorganized and even questioned their ability to know the rules. Take a look below.

So what caused the refs to finally make the right call? Could it be possible that it was Tony Romo’s comments that were heard in the NFL’s office in New York during the telecast? It sure seems like it. And, while the NFL doesn’t have a “sky judge” — or someone who watches the TV feed and alerts the officials on the field of anything they may have missed — this certain play sure appeared to be a case where something like that happened.

Even former NFL official Terry McAulay agreed, tweeting out the below in response to a fan on Twitter who thought something was fishy about the delayed penalty call.

https://twitter.com/SNFRules/status/1219032087216508928?s=20

According to Pro Football Talk, if the refs calling the Chiefs-Titans game did, in fact, use a so-called “sky judge” to make the call, it’s technically a “violation of the league’s policies, but it’s an open secret that it sometimes happens.” So, while the right call was made by NFL officials — albeit later than expected — once again, it’s an embarrassing moment on the field that leaves fans shaking their heads wondering what in the hell the zebras are paid for when something this obvious gets initially missed.

(H/T Pro Football Talk)