Week 15 is shaping up to be the most controversial NFL game week this season. And one that referees and the NFL will not want to look back at any time soon. The amount of terrible calls made by referees this week has put the entire NFL under fire, even resulting in speculations about foul intent. One such person visibly distraught at this, is NFL analyst Rich Eisen, who does not mince his words at all.
Advertisement
On ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ Eisen tears into the referees from various games, and the controversial calls made this week. Although he concedes the out-of-bounds call made during the Las Vegas Raiders vs New England Patriots game, that’s all he gives in to. His next target is the game-changing, illegal formation foul called on Washington Commanders’ receiver Terry McLaurin.
“Terry McLaren’s lined up, and he looks right at the official who does appear to be giving him like a ‘hey, you’re good’. And he wasn’t. And as soon as the play is snapped…….the flag comes out… If he told him you’re fine and then throws the flag out, I’m like, what the hell is that about?” Eisen says.
Rich Eisen appalled at referees “blowing the whistle too early”
Eisen does not stop with the McLaurin issue and calls into focus the Indianapolis Colts vs the Minnesota Vikings game from earlier this week. A game that featured a set of very interesting calls made by referees. So interesting, that they could serve as breeding grounds for speculations about conspiracies and foul plays.
“Nothing was worse though than the Vikings – Colts game,” Eisen says. “I honestly thought we were long since past the officials blowing the whistle too quick.”
Eisen is referring to the 2 fumble recovery touchdowns by the Vikings cornerback Chandon Sullivan. Touchdowns that the referees immediately negated by calling the play dead, because “the runner’s forward progress has been stopped”, according to referee Tra Blake. And while the first one might just be a simple error, the second one is outright ridiculous.
Thankfully, these errors did not stop the Vikings from staging a miraculous comeback against the Colts. The circumstances would have been much different if they had lost. The win sees the Vikings secure their playoff spot by leading the NFC North with an 11-3 record.
But the question remains: what will the NFL do about these situations? The lack of a proper guideline for referees to follow while making such intricate calls is apparently showing up during games. With the NFL already under fire for its weak concussion protocol guidelines, will fans and teams force the NFL to revisit this issue? Will we see a framework adopted anytime soon?
