"There were a couple of big calls missed" - NFL rules analyst reviews botched calls during Super Bowl 2022
Sunday night's NFL Super Bowl matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals was great for many reasons. One of them was the lack of penalties called during the game and how fast the game moved.
With that being said, there were missed calls, bad calls, and some questionable calls like in any other football game.
NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira admitted that "there were a couple of big calls missed" during the game:
"There were three plays that really stuck out to me this game. The play where Bengals receiver Tee Higgins grabbed Jalen Ramsey’s facemask to get open for a touchdown, a pass-interference call on Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson on Cooper Kupp, and the refs missing Aaron Donald (being) offsides on the Bengals' last play. These were three plays that referees had to get right, especially during the Super Bowl."
“Wilson gets called for defensive holding. It’s just not holding.”
@MikePereira reacts to the defensive holding penalty on Bengals LB Logan Wilson late in the 4th Qtr of Super Bowl LVI. https://t.co/u5i2MZ6oQJ
NFL refs missed Higgins grabbing Ramsey’s facemask on 75-yard touchdown reception to begin second-half
Tee Higgins definitely got away with one. Grabbed Ramsey's facemask. https://t.co/yg4yFxd9VY
Probably the most surprising play of the game came when the second-half started. Joe Burrow found Tee Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown pass to start the second-half that gave the Bengals a 17-13 lead.
During the replay, it appeared that Higgins grabbed Jalen Ramsey’s facemask causing the cornerback to fall, resulting in an easy touchdown for the Bengals receiver.
Aaron Donald appeared to be offsides on the last play of the Bengals drive
Feel like Aaron Donald might’ve lined up offside on the fourth-and-1 but what do I know??? https://t.co/ZHGWBcyy1H
Aaron Donald was a force all night during the Super Bowl. His biggest play of the night came when he pressured Joe Burrow on 4th-and-1 at the end of the game to seal the deal for a Rams victory.
Before the play began, it appeared that Donald was offsides but the NFL refs didn’t see it and there was no call.
Bad pass-interference call on Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson
Towards the end of the game, the Bengals got unlucky. On 3rd-and-goal from about seven-yard line, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson made what seemed to be a good pass-deflection on a pass intended for eventual Super Bowl NFL MVP Cooper Kupp.
Shortly after, a flag was thrown for a holding call on Wilson, resulting in a first-and-goal from just outside the one-yard line for the Rams. Los Angeles would eventually score on that drive.
NFL refs are human and prone to error just like everyone else...but it seems to hurt just a bit more when the biggest stakes are on the line in the biggest game of the season.