It’s a new NFL season, but the same old story of referees influencing the outcome of a game has persisted. The Cowboys-Giants matchup was a prime example. While Dallas was hit with 11 penalties compared to just 4 for New York, it was the Giants who felt most aggrieved by at least two controversial calls.
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On the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL punter didn’t hold back, criticizing the refs for their blatant errors. He pointed out obvious mistakes, such as the incorrect facemask penalty on TE Cody Bellinger, while dismissing the notion of a bias in favor of the Cowboys, which some Giants fans were quick to suggest.
Instead, McAfee attributed the poor officiating to sheer incompetence, saying the officials were simply throwing flags around carelessly.
“Earlier a lot of people were saying refs are rigging this for Dallas Cowboys. That was the conversation earlier, very loud. But it turns out these refs just stunk. These refs are just throwing flags all over everything. The amount of offsetting penalties — Is it the most in history?”
However, the former Colts punter refused to criticize all officials or paint them with the same brush. He took a moment to praise several officiating crews for their admirable work and restraint in calling penalties.
He emphasized that controversial decisions by a few referees tarnish the reputation of the entire group, leading fans to scrutinize even the smallest of mistakes.
With that being said, Giants TE Daniel Bellinger was flagged for a penalty after allegedly grabbing the facemask of DeMarvion Overshown. In reality, though, it was the latter who grabbed Bellinger’s facemask.
But the Giants-Cowboys game won’t be the only instance this week that turns into a ‘snooze fest.’ As it happens, the referee crew that has thrown the most flags will be officiating the upcoming matchup between the Colts and Steelers.
The Colts-Steelers game in the spotlight
During the same segment of the show, Pat disclosed that Land Clark and his crew will be officiating the game between the Steelers and the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. His crew has called fifty penalties in the past three weeks, second only to Clete Blakeman’s. The crew has thrown 43 flags as well, mostly for false starts and holding.
McAfee believes constant stops and flags thrown aren’t something that fans crave. Therefore, the upcoming matchup might be the most controversial of Week 4.
“In this week’s Colt-Steelers game has Land Clark, who I think has thrown second the most amount of flags. These are not the type of things that the NFL fans are looking for. We need 5-6 offsetting penalties plus another. We don’t need that happening.”
To be fair, Clark’s crew has called most false starts, which are usually cut and dry. However, the Steelers will be happy that their team, especially T.J. Watt, might benefit from some holding calls.
Nine penalties were called against Pittsburgh when Clark officiated their loss to the Cardinals last season. Maybe it’s the Steelers’ time for redemption.
