NFL officials had a Championship Sunday to forget, with blown calls and questionable decisions that left the football world scratching their head. While the AFC Championship Game will be remembered for the Joseph Ossai penalty, another missed call might have influenced the outcome even more.
In an AFC title game filled with baffling penalties and seemingly random instances when NFL officials swallowed their whistle, the Bengals vs Chiefs matchup remained tied until the final seconds. Then, everything changed on third-and-4 with 16 seconds remaining.
Related: Joseph Ossai penalty costs Cincinnati Bengals potential win
Patrick Mahomes faced a collapsing pocket seconds after the snap, forcing him to roll out to buy time and see if a Chiefs’ receiver could get open. With everyone covered, the NFL MVP maneuvered around the edge and tip-toed down the sideline for a first down at the Bengals’ 51-yard line.
Playing on a high-ankle sprain, the signature moment would’ve set up kicker Harrison Butker for a field goal from at least 53 yards out. While Butker is one of the best kickers in the NFL, he only made 3-of-7 attempts from 50-plus yards out this season.
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However, Ossai shoved Mahomes after he took multiple steps out of bounds and that drew a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. It set Butker up for a 45-yard field goal, which he nailed to send Kansas City to the Super Bowl.
As the Chiefs celebrated, CBS’ cameras focused on a distraught Ossai after the game and blame quickly landed on the 22-year-old edge rusher. While his costly mistake doomed Cincinnati, the game-deciding moment never should’ve counted.
As highlighted by Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. grabbed edge rusher Trey Hendrickson around the neck to prevent him from reaching Mahomes. As defined in the NFL rules, that’s a holding penalty and would have offset with the unnecessary roughness to replay third down.
There were plenty of other missed calls on Sunday, including Chiefs’ edge rusher Frank Clark not being called for roughing the passer after Joe Burrow released the football then Clark took three steps and shoved him.
Related: Cincinnati Bengals player blasts Joseph Ossai for costly blunder
While it’s possible Mahomes still could’ve led Kansas City to a win even with the holding penalty called, the missed call highlights the role bad officiating played in the AFC Championship Game.
As the NFL prepares for its biggest moment of the year with more than 100 million people tuning in, the league would be wise to spend the next two weeks ensuring its officials don’t make nearly as many mistakes as we saw on Sunday.