What Others Are Saying About Last Night's Fiasco

[*jason*]

(01-30-2023, 08:07 PM)fisherscatfan Wrote: Ok. So it was 20-20. Bengals punt, block in the back call not made allows for a big return. Mahomes has a very similar to Burrow’s grounding call not made. On Mahomes run two holding calls not made. So did the Chiefs really make the plays or did they get the benefit of bad calls-not the roughing-to put them in position to get the win? 

Sure Burrow could have thrown for two more TDS and won the game but didnt. But did the Chiefs really make the plays?

Honestly I'd forgotten about the intentional grounding call... That was awful and very costly. But we left no doubt last week. We didn't play as well this week, and yeah... I think the Chiefs outplayed us.

[Stonyhands]

(01-30-2023, 04:03 PM)Science Friction Wrote: Some of these people are folks who I have had lengthy intellectual discussions with about sports, history, politics, and religion. Some are Reds and Bengal fans, but others are just neutral and sports fans, in general. Thought it would be interesting to get thoughts from folks other than from this forum. I'll post a few interesting ones that I come across.


" 'Finger on the scale' does not mean the refs decided the game. It means their calls favored one team over another. That clearly happened in this game, throughout the entire game, but especially at the end.

I don’t know how you can watch that series at the end when the refs gave the Chiefs multiple chances at a third down and think the refs did their job. That was a blatant unfair officiating that I have ever seen.

You mentioned “some non-calls.” That is usually at the heart of the “finger on the scale.” Not calling clear penalties in crucial spots is an easy way to influence, though not decide, a game. No one notices until maybe after the game, so it gets glossed over and forgotten.

Many things decided tonight’s game, but I can’t believe an objective observer could watch this game and not think that something was off, that the refs were favoring the Chiefs over the Bengals. As I pointed out in another thread, this was trending on Twitter after the game, and most of the posts were not from Bengal fans.


From a different poster:

"People need to accept that with anything in life... Anything at all... that involves an insane amount of money, and especially when it also involves gambling... It's going to be "influenced", if not rigged entirely.

And it's not going to be influenced in your favor. These are clubs that we are not members of, lol

It was an entertaining season. Like a night at the ole blackjack table. Lots of fun and just kind of fell apart at the end there. How unique."

I can stomach no calls as long as it’s both ways. The problem was there were 2 standards for the 4th quarter. Rules are in place to prevent teams from gaining advantage from unfair practices. However, nearly everything the refs threw flags on the Bengals the Chiefs had the same if not more egregious actions. If one of our defenders shoved Mahomes that late after the throw that’s roughing 1000 out of 1000 times.

[Sled21]

(01-30-2023, 07:24 PM)Science Friction Wrote: That is not evidence of anything. ZERO!!! You have fables... nothing else. Now.. back to football.

Wow. Classless.

[Tomkat]

(01-30-2023, 06:38 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: This is such BS. The Ossai call was legit. The 3rd down redo was also correct. The PI was correct. 

The only LEGIT call was the roughing the passer on Ossai.  Everything else was shady af.

[Bengalbug]

(01-31-2023, 10:29 AM)Tomkat Wrote: The only LEGIT call was the roughing the passer on Ossai.  Everything else was shady af.

Shady isn’t the right word. Inconsistent is better in this example.

I do think the refs were doing more to protect mahomes.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-30-2023, 06:38 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: This is such BS. The Ossai call was legit. The 3rd down redo was also correct. The PI was correct. 

The Ossai call was legit, but then again, Mixon was hit way out of bounds by a second KC defender near the goal line and nothing was called. Be consistent. The PI call was weak AF, Steretore even alluded to it.

[*bengalfan74*]

(01-31-2023, 11:21 AM)Wyche Wrote: The Ossai call was legit, but then again, Mixon was hit way out of bounds by a second KC defender near the goal line and nothing was called. Be consistent. The PI call was weak AF, Steretore even alluded to it.

Yes it was

And I know there were other bad calls, no calls, against us. But that's just how it is, period. But here's the thing and there's no getting around it.

We lost the game because Joe was under serious duress way more often than not. And!! We got little to no pressure on Mahomes way more often than not. That's why we lost. Not some missed holding penalty. 

Had we been able to move the ball with 2 and 1/2 or whatever minutes left we wouldn't be having this conversation huh?

[IcoHolic]

Why are most referees geriatric? Your ability to see, process and react slows with age for most of us. If a HC can be in their 30s, there's no reason that we can't have an influx of younger officials, and definitely some more females. It makes no sense....

There also needs to be more officials on the field.

Oh, and use the damn SkyJudge. Even MLB is moving to technology.

The sun came up on Monday, I am fine with the loss. I just doubt that there would be a single fanbase that doesn't want to see improvements in officiating.. and not just small ones.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-31-2023, 11:29 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Yes it was

And I know there were other bad calls, no calls, against us. But that's just how it is, period. But here's the thing and there's no getting around it.

We lost the game because Joe was under serious duress way more often than not. And!! We got little to no pressure on Mahomes way more often than not. That's why we lost. Not some missed holding penalty. 

Had we been able to move the ball with 2 and 1/2 or whatever minutes left we wouldn't be having this conversation huh?

Yup. People are acting like it's all mutually exclusive. As I said in another thread....we shot ourselves in the foot too many times against a team the caliber of KC, but the refs did shoot us in the other foot for good measure.

[higgy100]

(01-30-2023, 05:07 PM)Science Friction Wrote: Doesn't make the shady league and ref points any less valid, though.

Especially at the critical juncture of the game regarding the punt return and the issues literally happening right in front of the refs.

Football is a game of ebbs and flows, momentum swings, adversity, etc. Very few games are played at a perfect level. To have people say they didn't play well enough to win in a tie game with under 10 seconds to go with a rather fluke penalty (although legit), is absolutely about as naive and ignorant as it gets. Correct call or the penalty doesn't happen and that game goes to OT.

I guess at that point of the game that KC then also didn't play well enough to win without the crippling penalty and no calls. essentially gifting them the game.

[SladeX]

(01-30-2023, 05:18 PM)Science Friction Wrote: Funny to me how ,otherwise, smart ,logical people can believe 100% there is a bearded, old guy out in space somewhere(with ZERO evidence)  that's eagerly waiting to welcome them to a heavenly paradise, but refuse to consider even the possibility that NFL officials , at the bequest of league execs sometime influence game outcomes. Incredible. Seriously, which is far more likely to be true?

My conception of God doesn’t amount to a “bearded man in space (or the sky)”. Belittling others belief’s doesn’t serve you very well, and  ultimately only serves to immediately close their minds to your POV regarding officiating or other topics. It’s as if you’re not trying so much to state your case as to insult and deride. You seem to think anyone who disagrees with you, or has different views, is automatically inferior. That’s extremely immature, and should be beneath you, if in fact you were as intelligent as you see yourself.

As to the officials, it did seem to be weighed towards the Chiefs. The call on Apple was particularly awful. The second I saw the flag I yelked out that was perfect coverage. Even grandson (Chiefs fan) agreed. When the replay was shown, I exclaimed “ That was bull****!”. All the Chiefs fans shut up and looked straight ahead. It was pretty funny. There was a horsecollar noncall on a Mahomes tackle (all of the nearby Bengals fans agreed). The third down fiasco was bizarre. The last series featured a couple of non calls , but we were still, after all of that, primed to go to overtime were it not for a boneheaded play.

I have a different take on why officiating may be one sided at times. Officials are human. Many that I’ve seen interviewed are fans. Maybe when Apple won’t STFU, Burrowhead gets out before the game is even played, and the damn Mayor does what he does, maybe these things rub the officials the wrong way, and lead, even unconsciously, to a slanted game.

I’m going to start paying attention to pre game “festivities” and see if there is a correlation in some instances, related to poor pregame sportsmanship.

[BillsGuy1986]

I don't expect these discussions to ever end until Robo-cop is officiating, and even then, it'll be "who programs him?".

The truth is that regardless of the discussion's POVs, you have to ask yourself if it bothers you enough to stop watching.

If it does, you'll potentially miss out on 10 game win streaks like Bengals fans had and without a doubt an electric atmosphere in Cincinnati the last two months.

Doesn't seem worth it to me.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-31-2023, 12:56 PM)BillsGuy1986 Wrote: I don't expect these discussions to ever end until Robo-cop is officiating, and even then, it'll be "who programs him?".

The truth is that regardless of the discussion's POVs, you have to ask yourself if it bothers you enough to stop watching.

If it does, you'll potentially miss out on 10 game win streaks like Bengals fans had and without a doubt an electric atmosphere in Cincinnati the last two months.

Doesn't seem worth it to me.

I agree, but you have to have better officiating in the postseason. It wasn't just our game, the NFCCG was bad too. I'm not calling it rigged, I'm calling it grossly incompetent. 

[Roland]

(01-30-2023, 08:10 PM)Destro Wrote: Person I dislike said:
"Chiefs had more yards, far more passing yards, more first downs, more yards per play, allowed fewer sacks, had fewer turnovers, won time of possession but yea, it was the refs. Damn refs. Always against the Bengals."

Bullshit take.  

First, the only stat that matters in the end is points on the board and it was tied 20-20 going into the final seconds.

Second, if the refs were favoring you, it follows that you would have better stats.  

Again, not arguing that we lost because of the officiating but Cowherd is a blowhard moron and you shouldn't quote him because you know it.

[bengals67]

(01-30-2023, 08:12 PM)jason Wrote: Honestly I'd forgotten about the intentional grounding call... That was awful and very costly. But we left no doubt last week. We didn't play as well this week, and yeah... I think the Chiefs outplayed us.

I don’t get “ the Chiefs outplayed us” when it’s 20-20 with 8 seconds left with chiefs taking a 45 yard field goal made possible because they didn’t call one of our guys getting tackled from behind on punt return.

[*jason*]

(01-31-2023, 02:09 PM)bengals67 Wrote: I don’t get “ the Chiefs outplayed us” when it’s 20-20 with 8 seconds left with chiefs taking a 45 yard field goal made possible because they didn’t call one of our guys getting tackled from behind on punt return.

Also made possible by Ossai hitting Mahomes outta bounds. I get it... The refs sucked. It's not rigged though. The refs suck that officiated the Buffalo game too.

[BillsGuy1986]

(01-31-2023, 02:27 PM)jason Wrote: Also made possible by Ossai hitting Mahomes outta bounds. I get it... The refs sucked. It's not rigged though. The refs suck that officiated the Buffalo game too.

This is news to me, but i was in the 300s and could barely see the field. Wouldn't have mattered in that game, but i'll take your word for it.

[GodFather]

(01-30-2023, 08:12 PM)jason Wrote:  I think the Chiefs outplayed us.

Plenty of teams get outplayed and still win the game. I can think of a ton of Marvin Lewis era games where we outplayed the opponent and still lost the game...we are too familiar with that scenario. 

[*michaelsean*]

(01-31-2023, 11:02 PM)BillsGuy1986 Wrote: This is news to me, but i was in the 300s and could barely see the field. Wouldn't have mattered in that game, but i'll take your word for it.

I don’t know that he means against the Bengals. I can’t recall anything myself, but I can say that refereeing needs to be better. Consistency is horrible. There have been plenty of games where I thought refereeing was terrible and it wasn’t necessarily against the Bengals. Of course you see it more when it’s against your team.

[TheUberHuber]

(01-30-2023, 04:56 PM)TheFan Wrote: "an overall average time to throw of just 2.64 seconds"

Omg that is absolutely terrible