DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 01: Kenny Moore II #23 of the Indianapolis Colts intercepts a pass from Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions (not pictured) and returns it for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Ford Field on November 01, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Seriously, what were the officials watching
NFL referees get a bad rep for blowing class. Sometimes it’s a quick burn and turn style, giving them the benefit of the doubt before review. What was the problem here on Thursday night?
In the closing seconds of the first quarter, Ryan Tannehill led the Tennessee Titans down the field to a 2nd-and 2 play. The clock kept rolling and the Indianapolis Colts defense figured they would just run out the clock. As the clock hit zero, the whistle didn’t blow. Three seconds and a two-yard run from Derrick Henry later, the referees blew the whistle, thus ending the first quarter.
One look at Anthony Walker Jr. and Darius Leonard’s face tells the whole story about how the Colts felt on that play.
The referees continues to make mistakes
In the NFL, one bad call will give a ref a bad name for the remainder of their career. This is one of those moments where being lazy actually hurts. Not a single ref decided to pay attention to the clock, thus nearly leading to a play that could have helped Tennessee’s offense pick up extra yardage.
Sure, after commercial break the refs corrected themselves, but what if they hadn’t? Thank goodness it was a limited fan base and on the road or Indianapolis fans might still be booing at the outcome of that call in Lucas Oil Stadium.