B/R
As NFL officials continue to have problems seeing obvious facemask penalties during Thursday night games, LASIK has stepped up to offer them free surgeries to improve their vision.
After Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike’s facemask on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow went unpenalized in the Ravens’ 35-34 win over the Bengals, LASIK took advantage of the marketing opportunity by announcing they’re “still offering” refs a free surgery:
This is the second time in three weeks on Thursday Night Football officials missed a facemask penalty. It previously happened on Oct. 24 in the Los Angeles Rams’ 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Rams linebacker Byron Young grabbed a handful of Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s facemask on a play that resulted in a sack and safety to give Los Angeles a 10 point lead with just under two minutes remaining.
Referee Tra Blake said in a pool report after that game he didn’t get a clear look at the play because Darnold was facing in the opposite direction of him. The NFL actually fined Young for the play even though there was no penalty called.
There were multiple missed calls on the Bengals’ final drive, including on a two-point conversion attempt that would have given them a 36-35 lead with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Burrow was hit in the head and facemask by Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones after throwing the ball on the two-point attempt. Amazon Prime analyst Kirk Herbstreit also pointed out that Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki was being held on the same play.
Prime Video’s rules expert Terry McAulay said on the broadcast that both incidents should have been flagged (h/t Stephen Douglas of Fox 4 in Kansas City).
“Yeah, it was clearly defensive holding before the pass was in flight, which should have been called,” McAulay said. “And that does look like forceable contact to the head of the quarterback. That’s a personal … That’s roughing the passer and it should have been called.”
A penalty would have given the Bengals another shot at converting the two-point play from the Ravens’ one-yard line. Instead, they suffered a loss that dropped their record to 4-6 and putting a dent in their playoff hopes.
The Ravens escaped with a win and improved to 7-3 overall this season. They could end the weekend in first place in the AFC North if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
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