In a perfect world, NFL officials would do their job properly and not make the Super Bowl about themselves.
Unfortunately, the world is far from perfect. And in so many unfortunate instances, the NFL officials have saved their WORST performances for last — last meaning the Super Bowl.
With Super Bowl season upon us, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at five times where the refs cost a team a Super Bowl — and five instances where they gift-wrapped a Lombardi Trophy to a team.
Cost A Team: Seattle Seahawks In Super Bowl 40
We really don’t know where to start and how to not go on a 300-page-novel-worthy rant here. But we’ll try to condense it as much as possible.
The referees a hundred percent cost the Seahawks in Super Bowl 40. Pure and simple. For starters, how about Darrell Jackson’s game-opening touchdown score coming off the board for phantom offensive PI — that forced Seattle to take a field goal?
Or Ben Roethlisberger’s go-ahead rushing touchdown that was upheld after review? But when you watch the replay, there’s no clear evidence that he broke the plain for six:
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And then how about Matt Hasselbeck being flagged for a “block below the waist” on a tackle attempt after throwing an interception? Even Al Michaels couldn’t hide his disgust with the pathetic penalty call:
Less than two minutes after that call, Antwaan Randle El threw a touchdown to Hines Ward on a trick play that helped Pittsburgh put the game away.
Jerome Bettis got to go out on top as a champion in his hometown of Detroit — the site of Super Bowl 40 — no less. But wow, did those poor Seahawks and their fans get hosed by the refs more than anything else.
Handed A Team One: New England Patriots In Super Bowl 53
Super Bowl 53 felt like that one game that nobody really cared for nor wanted unless you were a fan of the New England Patriots or the Los Angeles Rams.
Why? Because both teams won their respective conference championship games on questionable officiating — the Rams over the New Orleans Saints and the Pats over the Chiefs.
But boy, was the officiating ever one-sided for this contest in favor of the Patriots. Comeuppance for the Rams getting to the Super Bowl in the first place because of the refs? Hmm…
The yawn-fest of a game was tied 3-3 in the fourth quarter when Todd Gurley broke off a big run for the Rams in New England territory. However, the officials called the biggest phantom offensive holding call ever on John Sullivan which brought the play back:
On the same drive, you had this hit on Jared Goff that probably could have been a penalty. Even if you don’t think it’s a foul, well, we’ll just say that way softer hits drew flags:
And finally, you had Stephon Gilmore getting away with blatant pass interference on Brandin Cooks that should have given the Rams a first-and-goal at the one-yard line. The refs missed the call, and Gilmore iced the game on the next play with an interception:
The rules committee later stated that it should have been a penalty on Gilmore that would have given the Rams a first-and-goal at the one. Alas, the refs handed Tom Brady and his Patriots a sixth ring instead.
Again, maybe it was just revenge for the Rams having that 2018 NFC Championship Game handed over to them in the first place.
Cost A Team: Philadelphia Eagles In Super Bowl 57
Super Bowl 57 between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs more than lived up to the hype. The league’s two best regular season teams — led by MVP winner Patrick Mahomes and MVP runner-up Jalen Hurts — traded blow-for-blow in an Oscar-worthy thriller.
One reason the game was so epic? The officiating was consistent and just fine for the most part. Referee Carl Cheffers and his crew were following the good ol’ “let them play” playbook in a big game…until flipping the script at the worst possible time.
The game was tied 35 apiece with less than two minutes to go. The Chiefs were facing a 3rd-and-8 in Eagles territory, and a first down would have allowed KC to melt the clock and kick the field goal.
Mahomes missed JuJu Smith-Schuster on an end zone-bound pass that stopped the clock. But the officials flagged Eagles’ corner James Bradberry for defensive holding on Smith-Schuster and essentially ended the game right then and there.
Look, even if it WAS a penalty by the rulebook…how can you call something that borderline at that point of the game? The refs were letting them get handsy and physical all game long until that very moment.
Harrison Butker drilled the game-winning 27-yard field goal for the Chiefs in the waning seconds, and they won this all-time thriller 38-35.
KC earned it, but it’s hard not to feel for the Eagles and their fans. They were totally robbed with a tacky call here.
Handed A Team One: Los Angeles Rams In Super Bowl 56
Perhaps the refs owed the Rams this one after costing them dearly in Super Bowl 53 three years earlier?
The ending to Super Bowl 56 between the Rams and Cincinnati Bengals was awfully similar to the Chiefs-Eagles contest: The refs were letting them play all game long — to the point where Tee Higgins got away with a face-mask on Jalen Ramsey for a touchdown.
At least, the refs let them play until the game’s most pivotal moment…
The Rams were trailing by four with less than two minutes left, needing a touchdown to keep their championship dreams alive. For starters, the Rams got away with a blatant false start penalty that should have moved them back to the 13.
One terribly missed no-call and one cheap flag on the Bengals…all on the same play.
That would set up Kupp’s go-ahead touchdown reception, and the defense held on to clinch the Rams’ their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Even former NFL VP of officiating Mike Pereira blasted the call and said it was NOT defensive holding on Wilson. Congrats to the Rams on having this Super Bowl largely handed to them.
Cost A Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers In 1999 NFC Championship Game
It’s one of the greatest “what ifs” in NFL history.
The Buccaneers visited Kurt Warned and the high-powered St. Louis Rams in the 1999 NFC Championship Game. Tony Dungy’s Bucs put on a defensive masterclass and limited the Rams to 11 points, giving Shaun King and the offense the chance to play hero.
Facing a 2nd-and-23 situation in Rams territory with less than a minute to go, King found Bert Emanuel for a pivotal 17-yard completion. Curiously, the officials decided to conduct a review — and every single angle showed that it was a clear-as-day catch.
But in an all-time stunner, the officials overturned the ruling and called it an incomplete pass, since the nose of the ball touched the ground. Clearly, however, Emanuel never lost control of the ball:
The Rams would force a turnover on downs to clinch the NFC title banner. They went on to beat the Tennessee Titans to claim the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship.
Tampa was robbed of what should have been a conference title — and potentially a Super Bowl. With that star-studded defense, a Hall of Fame coach and the dynamic rushing duo of Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn, we would have liked their chances against the Titans. Just saying.
Handed A Team One: Kansas City Chiefs In Super Bowl 54
It’s one thing when there are bad calls that favor both sides. It’s another when every single garbage call benefits one team and screws the other.
Such was the case for Super Bowl 54, which would be better remembered as an all-time classic if the refs didn’t choose to take over the game.
The first garbage call? This tacky offensive PI call on 49ers’ tight end George Kittle that took away a potential go-ahead field goal before the end of the half.
Oh, but it got worse in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs’ D saved the game with a stop on 3rd-and-14 in the final frame. Shout-out to Tanoh Kpassagnon for getting away with a blatant offside penalty that forced the punt!
And after a Chiefs’ touchdown cut the 49er lead to three, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers faced a pivotal 3rd-and-5 play. Jimmy G threw an incomplete pass that forced a punt…but never mind the refs for missing a clear helmet-to-helmet hit on Garoppolo that should have given SAn Fran a fresh set of downs.
And yet it just kept getting worse and worse. Then you had Damien Williams clearly stepping out of bounds on his game-winning touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes. If the refs made the right call, the Chiefs would have had to settle for a game-tying field goal.
Cost A Team: Oakland Raiders In 2001 AFC Divisional Round
Raiders and Patriots fans just know this story all too well.
The Raiders were leading Tom Bady and the Pats 13 to 10 in the snow-filled affair at Foxboro Stadium with less than two minutes to go. On 1st-and-10 from the Raiders’ 42, Brady took the snap but was clobbered by Charles Woodson — who forced the fumble that was picked up by Greg Biekert.
The NFL curiously reviewed the play for several minutes…only to announce that it was an incomplete pass instead of a fumble. New England’s season stayed alive, and Adam Vinatieri made a clutch 45-yard field goal in the blizzard to force OT.
The Patriots won the overtime coin toss, and the legend of Brady continued. He set up Vinatieri for another game-winning field goal in overtime — and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Pats went on to win their first of six Super Bowls in the Brady-Bill Belichick era. The Raiders, who could have easily won the Super Bowl that year, wound up losing Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay in the offseason.
And Gruden’s Bucs destroyed the Raiders in Super Bowl 37 one year later. All you can do is ask “What If” the lamest rule in NFL history wasn’t used at the most convenience of times? Maybe the Raiders win back-to-back Super Bowls with “Chucky” and thwart the Patriots’ dynasty.
Bottom line: The 2001 Raiders were screwed big time out of a Super Bowl.
Handed A Team One: Tampa Bay Buccaneers In Super Bowl 55
Super Bowl 55 between Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs and Tom Brady’s Buccaneers was supposed to be an all-time legendary Super Bowl. But in typical NFL fashion, the referees had to take over the show early and often.
Honestly, all of the horrible calls came in the second quarter — and they ALL favored the Bucs.
So for starters, a potential game-changing interception by Tyrann Mathieu was called back because of a cheap defensive holding call. That led to Tom Brady throwing a TD strike to Rob Gronkowski that increased Tampa’s lead to two scores.
Then with less than 20 seconds to go in the half, Brady threw an uncatchable deep ball to Mike Evans. But Bashaud Breeland was flagged for defensive PI anyway, and we’ll let you be the judge.
And then Brady threw ANOTHER totally uncatchable ball to Mike Evans that set up first-and-goal at the nine. Antonio Brown caught a one-yard pass for a touchdown.
Brady and Mathieu then engaged in some heated trash talk. Yet only Mathieu was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
YEESH. Go ahead refs, just throw a flag any time a Chiefs player moves a muscle so the Bucs can run up the score. Thank you for making Super Bowl 55 about you.
Cost A Team: New Orleans Saints In 2018 NFC Championship Game
Not much more explaining is necessary here. Everyone knows it’s the worst officiating mistake in NFL history by a country margin.
If the refs don’t ignore the most obvious pass interference call of all-time, the Saints melt the clock and kick the game-winning field goal against the Rams to earn a Super Bowl 53 berth.
And if the Saints win that game? Pretty sure they would have throttled the Patriots in the big game. Tom Brady is great and all, but the Saints were heads-and-shoulders above everybody else that year — and New Orleans would have put up more than a measly three points in the big game. Saints fans deserve so much better. We still feel for them all these years later
Handed A Team One: Pittsburgh Steelers In Super Bowl 43
Man, where to start?
We could reference James Harrison’s game-changing 100-yard pick-six to close out the first half. Yanno, the play where refs didn’t bother to throw a flag on the many obvious holding or block in the back penalties?
How about Santonio Holmes’ game-winning touchdown that could have easily been overturned? OR the refs missing a 15-yard penalty on Holmes for “using the ball as a prop” with his TD celebration?
And finally, the game-sealing strip-sack off Kurt Warner? Anyone got a clue why the officials didn’t bother to review it? Even if it was a fumble by rule, how do you not review it on the field at that phase of the game?
Mike Pereira stated AFTERWARDS that they reviewed and confirmed it was a fumble. Something’s still fishy about that though. And it doesn’t excuse the other missed calls that benefited the Steelers in their Super Bowl triumph.
Which other instances did the NFL refs cost a team a Super Bowl, and which other instances did they hand a team one?
