NFL referees continue to miss obvious calls, and the divisional clash between Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of that.
Despite a by-standing referee just inches away from the play, they still didn’t call Steelers’ DT Larry Ogunjobi for a blatant face-mask on Deshaun Watson, prompting plenty of criticism on social media.
In fact, even though it’s been days since the game, Browns fans are still complaining about this inexplicably missed call:
“The Offical is Standing right there when it happens! We gotta win an award for how many letters we get from @NFLOfficiating about how they missed the call. @nflcommish you Officiating is Broken! #NFL” the account tweeted.
https://twitter.com/BrownsTherapy/status/1612265073191358465
They just missed a HUGE facemask on Deshaun Watson.
That's as bad as it gets. Yikes.
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) January 8, 2023
Deshaun Watson said the referee apologized to him for missing the facemask call.#Browns
— Anthony Poisal (@AnthonyPoisal) January 8, 2023
This has been a common trend throughout the league over the past couple of seasons.
Also, it’s kind of ironic to see that the referee missed this call, yet they won’t hesitate to throw in a flag every time a DB gets a little too close to a star QB.
Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady often get the whistle despite barely being touched, with the league protecting its star players more often than not.
So, we get it; you have to take care of the product and the guys who sell the most jerseys and bring the most viewership; it happens in every sport.
But it’s making it nearly impossible for defenders to actually do their job.
Also, a little consistency wouldn’t hurt, but history has shown that it could be too much to ask from these officials.
NEXT: Browns Issue Statement After Firing Their Defensive Coordinator