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The Referees Missed Two Calls On The Ravens' On Their Game-Winning Blocked Kick - And That's A Good Thing

By Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff)

BOSTON (CBS) -- Two seasons ago, the Patriots had a chance to score a game-winning touchdown on the last play of their Monday Night Football showdown with the Carolina Panthers. Tom Brady slung it in Rob Gronkowski's direction, but the throw was too low to catch.

That is the reason why the referees picked up their flags and canceled a pass interference call on Luke Kuechly, which if upheld would have given the Patriots a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. I distinctly remember watching the refs' decision transpire, understandably apoplectic about the non-call when Kuechly basically bearhugged Gronk in the end zone.

But after sleeping on it, I looked at the non-call and said "Good."

No, I wasn't glad that the Patriots lost, and in such disappointing and sketchy fashion. I was glad, however, that the players decided the game and not the referees. New England got a bitter, pungent taste of how it feels to have the refs rip the game from you on Sunday night, when an egregious series of flags played a role in the Broncos' fourth quarter go-ahead comeback. The Patriots didn't do themselves any favors with their own mistakes, but the referees committed the worst personal foul of them all on the Broncos' final drive of regulation: they let their own decisions influence - in this case decide - the outcome of the game.


SEE ALSO: Howe: NFL Officials 'Absolutely' Targeting Gronkowski


The stunningly bad offensive pass interference call on Gronk was particularly heinous, but the holding call on Patrick Chung in the end zone was even worse, considering it took place in the end zone in a game-deciding, "let the players play" situation. But Denver got a flag, a better spot, a fresh set of downs, and ultimately a go-ahead touchdown - on a flag that was ticky-tack at best. It was a bad call (to put it lightly) and an unnecessary one at that. This shouldn't be what any fan wants at the end of games, ever.

Which brings me to Monday night's Ravens - Browns game, which ended on a blocked Browns field goal attempt that the Ravens' Will Hill took all the way to the end zone. It was an exhilarating ending for Ravens fans, and a heartbreaking one for Cleveland.

But the morning after the game, it's become clear that the referees missed two calls on the play. First, the Ravens' Anthony Levine Jr. clearly committed offsides after momentarily jumping the line and planting his hand too far forward.

Second, it appears that Hill may have stepped out of bounds on his way to the end zone. It's extremely close, probably too much so to confirm anything, but judge for yourself:

Obviously the refs missed both calls. Or they decided not to call it, which I would say was the right decision.

Levine Jr. clearly had a hand in the neutral zone on the block kick, but he also had no influence on the play itself after the ball was snapped. Imagine the reaction in Baltimore if the refs called back Hill's touchdown because a guy who made zero impact on the play barely had one hand ahead of the line. Is that what NFL fans really want?

Then there's the out-of-bounds call. To play another game of "What If", imagine the refs caught Hill's foot on the line and whistled the play dead. They would have decided the game over a sliver of a foot touching chalk. Even worse, what if the referees whistled the play dead because Hill went out of bounds, but the replay showed that he actually stayed in and they got it wrong? Baltimore might have literally turned to rubble if the game ended like that.

Yes, the Ravens technically could have been flagged or whistled dead on the game-winning touchdown. But in a primetime game, as regulation expires, officials should almost always swallow their whistles and get out of the way.

You could argue that the refs can't have a zero-flags policy at the end of games, because players can't feel like they can get away with anything on the last play. But players, coaches, and viewers should not see yellow in that spot unless the penalty was particularly egregious, to the point where the refs have no choice but to throw the flags. If Levine Jr. had his entire body offside, or Hill had an entire foot out-of-bounds, Cleveland fans might have a legitimate gripe.


SEE ALSO: Brinson: NFL, A Billion-Dollar Business, Needs Full-Time Referees


The officiating in the NFL has become a weekly, league-wide problem, and throwing flags on game-deciding plays at the end of regulation would do nothing to help matters. The refs did the right thing not to get involved in the final play of Ravens - Browns, and should have done the same thing with the Patriots and Broncos.

It's understandable to be upset if you're a Browns fan to lose in such a fashion, with two apparent infractions by the winning team that went uncalled. But ultimately, it's what you want to see at the end of games. The players, and not the flags, decided the outcome.

H/t Bro Bible, SB Nation

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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