The officiating crew from Saturday’s AFC wild-card game between the Bengals and Raiders may be one and done this postseason.
Referee Jerome Boger and those who officiated the first game of the postseason are not anticipated to work again during these playoffs following Saturday’s controversial outing, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday.
The officiating crew is not expected to receive high marks from the league for Saturday’s game, per Schefter, which saw the Bengals win their first playoff game in 31 years. The point of contention came shortly before halftime, when officials ruled a whistle had been blown after Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd caught a pass in the end zone from quarterback Joe Burrow. A whistle appeared to have been blown, however, as Burrow threw the pass close to the sideline, leading to speculation over whether he was out of bounds.
The officiating crew from the Bengals-Raiders game reportedly may be done this postseason.Twitter/NBC; Getty ImagesThe second-quarter touchdown gave the Bengals a 20-6 lead over the Raiders, with Cincinnati later pulling off a 26-19 win.
Following the game, Walt Anderson, the league’s senior vice president of officiating, elaborated on the ruling.
“We confirmed with the referee and the crew that on that play — they got together and talked — they determined that they had a whistle, but that the whistle for them on the field was blown after the receiver caught the ball,” Anderson said. “They did not feel that the whistle was blown before the receiver caught the ball.”
NFL referee Jerome Boger and the officiating crew from Saturday’s AFC wild-card game may be one and done this postseason.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Under the NFL’s current replay rules, inadvertent and or erroneous whistles are not reviewable, ESPN noted.
With the Raiders done for the season, the Bengals will now advance to next week’s divisional round.
