“This league is scripted” – Referees not calling 2 penalties on Bengals’ potential game-winning 2-point attempt has fans in shock

The referee missed two penalties in the final play of the game between Bengals-Ravens, including a facemask grab on Joe Burrow's helmet.

“This league is scripted” – Referees not calling 2 penalties on Bengals’ potential game-winning 2-point attempt has fans in shock

Joe Burrow gets his facemask grabbed by Ravens DT (Image via IMAGO/ X)

All the early game hard work from Joe Burrow went down the drain due to poor officiating in the last moments of the Thursday night fixture between the Bengals and the Ravens. The referee missed back-to-back potential penalty calls, which included a facemask grab on Burrow’s helmet.

Lamar Jackson’s sleek moves dragged the Ravens across the Bengals’ early 21-7 lead, and with just under two minutes until the final whistle, they led by seven points. Burrow closed the gap to just one after he threw a five-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase.

YouTube video

The Bengals needed to convert and not repeat the same mistake as the Buccaneers and go for the two-point conversion. After Burrow snapped the ball, he looked for tight end Tanner Hudson inside the red zone, but the pass went through his hands as it was slightly off course.

FS Video

Upon closer inspection, Ravens’ defensive tackle Travis Jones, who muscled his way past Bengals guard Alex Cappa, caught a piece of Burrow’s face mask, forcing him to throw a wayward pass.

RELATED
Tyreek Hill takes another vicious dig at Noah Lyles following his race against IShowSpeed
Noah Lyles, Tyreek Hill and IShowSpeed

Football fans angry with the referee missing out on a blatant penalty on Joe Burrow

Facemask grabbing wasn’t the only foul that the referee missed in the play. Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson brought down Bengals’ tight end Mike Gesicki inside the endzone. Even though Gesicki put his hands up to attract the referee’s attention, they chose to ignore it.

"This league is scripted" - Referees not calling 2 penalties on Bengals' potential game-winning 2-point attempt has fans in shock joe burrow facemask
Joe Burrow (Image via IMAGO)

Fans are fed up with the bad refereeing decisions in the last few games, as they have directly influenced the outcome. If Burrow managed to hit Gesicki inside the box, then the Bengals would be celebrating a win, but instead, it’s the Ravens who secure a whitewash against their AFC North rivals with a 35-34 victory.

These weren’t the only incidents on the night. Earlier in the second half, Burrow suffered a bad late hit from corner Marlon Humphrey. The Pro Bowler was shaken up quite a bit after the hit and took his time before getting back up.

Burrow ended the game with 34/56 (60.4% completion rate) for 428 yards, 4 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Ja’Marr Chase caught 11 passes for 264 yards (24 yards per carry), equaling legendary Jerry Rice as the only other receiver with multiple 260+ receiving yard games. Chase Brown rushed 13 times with the ball for 42 yards with one score, along with 9 receptions for 52 yards through the air.

Lamar Jackson recorded 25/33 for 290 yards (75.5% completion rate) for 4 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran seven times with the ball for 33 yards. Derrick Henry carried the ball 68 times for one touchdown.

RELATED
Ryan Fitzpatrick calls Joe Burrow a “serial killer”, praises his ‘infectious’ focus level
Joe Burrow and Ryan Fitzpatrick

The win leaves the Ravens with a 7-3 record, while the Bengals are 4-6 after ten weeks of football. Lamar and the Ravens will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers while the Bengals play the Chargers in LA.