Thursday’s season opener between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens came down to the final seconds and was decided by a toe.
But as many fans were pointing out on X, it shouldn’t have even been that close.
It’s safe to say the “Thursday Night Football” officiating crew was not at its best as the game was littered with missed calls, no calls and downright questionable calls, prompting many fans — and some celebrities — to voice their frustration on social media.
“Just give the refs red jerseys my God,” former Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders linebacker Will Compton tweeted .
“I can accept losing. I can’t accept the refs cheating,” Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy commented .
Two of the most egregious officiating incidents both benefited the Chiefs.
Right tackle Jaawan Taylor got several head starts, yet the refs seemingly refused to call any false start penalties on him. However, they had no problem flagging the Ravens offensive line.
The refs also allowed the Chiefs to get away with flat-out rule breaking. With less than 10 seconds left in the second quarter, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo ran down the sidelines calling a timeout. The problem is only the head coach can call timeouts.
But instead of flagging the Chiefs for the error, there again were no repercussions.
Even Ravens head coach John Harbaugh could see how egregiously the officiating wasn't being called right down the middle.
As a result, fans were calling on the NFL to do something about the officiating.
“Multiple Illegal formation calls ONLY on ravens, Spags calling a timeout when it should only be HC...THIS is why ppl think refs favor chiefs,” one user stated .
“An ending sure to inspire no conspiracy theories about the NFL rigging things for the Chiefs,” another commentor wrote .
“@NFLOfficiating y’all ruined football. Y’all absolutely suck and should be held accountable for these horrible decisions that determine the outcome of games,” a third user stated .
“Stuff @AdamSchefter won’t mention: 5+ major calls against the Ravens. Shocking bias for not holding refs and the NFL accountable. I guess when you get paid by the product, you can’t tell the truth,” another fan exclaimed .
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