Here’s another unpleasant surprise for NFL fans upset about NFL officiating in prime time: There wasn’t one missed face mask on a pivotal 2-point play in the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens game Thursday night.

There were two.

TWO!

Two Face Mask Calls Missed

And both went uncalled. Both were missed.

Not only did Nnamdi Madabuike get his hands on Joe Burrow’s helmet and pull it to the sides and then down, but on the same play, Baltimore rusher Odafe Oweh got his hands on the face mask of Bengals left tackle Cody Ford and torqued it to the right.

All that as Burrow was throwing his fateful incomplete pass on the potential game-tying and ultimately game-deciding 2-point play.

Neither face mask or hands to the face calls were made. Neither is reviewable per NFL replay rules.

So it’s not one black eye the NFL has after this otherwise super entertaining game. It’s two.

Obvious face mask and hands to the face penalties that were not called during final seconds of Thursday Night Football between Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens

(Amazon Prime Stream)

Former NFL Official Upset

OutKick spoke with a retired NFL game official on Friday. He saw the game. And saw replays just like other viewers. 

He also watched it again on NFL+.

“It’s hard to watch,” he said. “Look, the game moves fast and I’m not making excuses. That’s a fact.

“But I’m upset at the notion some people have that calls don’t get made in pivotal moments. Speaking for myself, I always told myself, ‘Trust your eyes, regardless of the situation.’ So all this talk about officials swallowing their whistle, so to speak, in big moments was bunk to the crews I worked on.

“I have to believe if someone on that crew last night saw the fouls, they would have made the call. To suggest otherwise is an attack on an official’s integrity.”

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Ar’Darius Washington #29 of the Baltimore Ravens defends Tanner Hudson #87 of the Cincinnati Bengals on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute of the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 07, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Fans Not Loving Replay, Either

Fans, meanwhile, are red-hot about this subject. They have eyes. They pay for streaming services to watch NFL games. 

They saw the game and the play.

And they’re reacting. 

OutKick phone lines and servers were lit up Friday morning. OK, maybe we’re just getting emails. 

And no one seems certain instant replay is the quick fix that plays like this might need.

“I love and I hate instant replay,” wrote Otis in Mobile. “I love that it helps make sure the call is correct, I hate how it interrupts the flow of the game. I do not think that the NFL should make only the face mask penalty reviewable.    Is that only going to be done via a coaches challenge?   Is it going to be because a player complains that his face mask was pulled?   If you do the face mask, why not holding?   why not whether a play was defensive offsides or false start?

“I do want the right call, I really do – but……the NFL needs to find a way to make this process more expedient, it just kills the flow of the game.”

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals embrace following the game at M&T Bank Stadium on November 07, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Don’t Turn NFL Into NBA

From Rob Hoefer in Noblesville, Ind.:

“My fear for football is what has happened in basketball, particularly the NBA. I find basketball unwatchable because it seems every day it becomes more like professional wrestling. Outcomes are predetermined, and the game is being choreographed more and more by the officiating.

“I think Burrow is right that he probably doesn’t get those calls when others do. Like the NBA star system, he’ll get the calls when his star power is sufficiently bright enough.”