- The Bengals fell to 4-6 after a failed two-point attempt late in the game.
The Ravens beat the Bengals in dramatic fashion Thursday night, but a former NFL referee accused the officials of blowing two calls on Cincinnati’s final offensive play.
After a Ja’Marr Chase touchdown catch with 38 seconds left put the Bengals within one point of their opponents, the visitors went for two, but a do-or-die pass attempt to tight end Tanner Hudson fell incomplete.
However, upon watching a replay of the sequence, Amazon Prime Video rules analyst Terry McAulay indicated that the Bengals should have had another chance to win the game.
“It was clearly a defensive hold … and that looks like forced contact to (Burrow’s) head,” he said.
During the play, the Ravens’ Roquan Smith made contact with Burrow’s mask, while the quarterback’s intended target, Hudson, was wrapped up by Ar’Darius Washington before the ball reached him.
Joe Burrow was hit in the facemask on the decisive play of Thursday’s game.
Tight end Tanner Hudson was also held by Ar’Darius Washington with the ball still in the air.
Prime Video’s Al Michaels shared McAulay’s take on the play.
‘Too many games end this way. They just do it,” Michaels said.
“You miss calls, it’s all very frustrating for the fans.”
In the end, the Bengals lost 35-34 after a missed onside kick, and fans were also upset about the pair of fouls.
“The NFL is too big to have this level of incompetence,” said one on X.
Burrow had 428 passing yards and four touchdowns, but the Bengals still lost.
“It’s the old stupid logic of referees who don’t want to decide the game, but by not calling the penalties that actually happened, they decided the game,” a second suggested.
“I like the Ravens, but that hit to Burrow’s head was obvious,” added a third.
The loss will hurt the now 4-6 Bengals, who led 21-7 in the second half and got huge offensive performances from Burrow (428 passing yards, four touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (264 receiving yards, three touchdowns).
