A blown call by the referees cost the Steelers seven points Sunday night against Los Angeles.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers’ 46-yard touchdown pass to receiver Travis Benjamin toward the end of the first quarter should not have counted because of this blatant false start by right tackle Sam Tevi.
✅Textbook false start
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) December 3, 2018
✅Textbook throwpic.twitter.com/Krj1GgN7gC
Tevi, located at the top of the formation, clearly moved well before the snap, but officials did not throw a flag on the play, so the touchdown stood.
The Steelers protested as the Heinz Field crowd booed the missed call loudly. Criticism also rolled in quickly on social media.
How in the world was that not a false start?
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) December 3, 2018
Also a failure in the review system that you can't call out an obvious false start there and kill that play.
— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) December 3, 2018
OMG, another missed false start! If I can see it, why can't the refs?
— Kellimac98 (@Kellimac98) December 3, 2018
That was just inexcusable by the Line Judge. You can’t miss a blatant false start like that at any time. But when the result is a TD pass it can change the course of a game. We saw that in the Rams-Chiefs game as well and it should never happen.
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) December 3, 2018
Literally anyone who watched the Chargers get away with that false start. That is some putrid officiating. pic.twitter.com/kxexLIBpkv
— Dave DiCello (@DaveDiCello) December 3, 2018
There was nothing anyone could do, though, as missed penalty calls cannot be challenged in the NFL.
Later, officials missed this illegal block in the back on Steelers defender Brian Allen during a punt return for a touchdown by the Chargers’ Desmond King.
Yeah no this is fine. pic.twitter.com/pay7F3k5iI
— pat muldowney (@patmuldowney) December 3, 2018
Missed calls like these can lead to discipline. Earlier this season, the league fired official Hugo Cruz in part because of a missed false start call that, coincidentally, also benefited the Chargers. Something to keep an eye on this week.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: December 3, 2018, 2:24 a.m.
