NBC Sports
- Bengals score TD after ref erroneously blows play dead.
- NBC rules expert Terry McAulay confirms TD shouldn’t have counted
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We have some controversy brewing in the Bengals-Raiders wildcard playoff game.
Late in the second quarter, Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw a TD pass while running towards the sideline. Before the Bengals TD catch, it appeared that a ref had blown a whistle while the ball was still in the air, which should have ruled the play dead on the spot.
A whistle was 100% blown while the pass was in the air. If an official did that, this play is supposed to be ruled dead, per NFL rules. pic.twitter.com/PZNAKsnY81
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 15, 2022
Rule 7, Section 2 (m):
"when an official sounds his whistle erroneously while the ball is still in play, the ball becomes dead immediately …"
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 15, 2022
I definitely heard a whistle. And I see LJ Mark Steinkerchner with his whistle in hand by his mouth. It certainly looks like an inadvertent whistle, which means there is no touchdown
— Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs🇺🇦 (@footballzebras) January 15, 2022
NBC’s rules expert Terry McAulay confirmed that the refs made a mistake by not calling the play dead due to the whistle.
Terry McAulay confirms the Raiders got screwed on the erroneous whistle pic.twitter.com/P5MVhAWyaA
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) January 15, 2022
“What they should have done with the erroneous whistle is replay the down because it was a loose ball in flight, they can’t have a touchdown on that play by rule.”