The Bengals and Steelers were forced to play without a clock for a bit during the first half of their Week 12 AFC North matchup on Sunday.
The trouble began in the second quarter when the in-stadium clock that was linked up with the broadcast stopped working, leaving both players on the field and viewers at home without a clear indication of how much time was left to play in the half.
CBS’s play-by-play man Ian Eagle and color commentator Charles Davis were both amused and a bit confused by the situation.
"This feels like high school doesn't it?" Davis asked. "Time kept on the field, no one knows what's going on. Almost soccer. Will we get extra time at the end?"
clock operator wants to go home he just sent it to halftime https://t.co/zyutlzlIlF pic.twitter.com/IGU7scFjQ7
— alex (@highlightheaven) November 26, 2023
Fans following the action both in the stadium and at home were similarly befuddled by the lack of a clock and took the opportunity to make some jokes at both teams’ expense.
All the ribbon boards have turned off due to game clock malfunction pic.twitter.com/ZotbGHvdvW
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) November 26, 2023
Currently no clocks or video board in the stadium due to a clock malfunction. They just shut it all down 😂 pic.twitter.com/IKpVGC6kVr
— Drew Garrison (@DrewGarrison) November 26, 2023
Not even the clock in Cincinnati wants to watch this game without Burrow playing
— Football (@BostonConnr) November 26, 2023
Lots of clocks not working in Paycor Stadium right now, including Jake Browning's internal clock
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) November 26, 2023
Where is the game clock? Tf is CBS doing?
— Told y’all (@NiyiDNinja) November 26, 2023
they running the game clock with a stopwatch in cincinnati rn, the jokes write themselves
— Quincy Carrier (@Kwen_C) November 26, 2023
So the clock issue at the stadium now means that the TV broadcast doesn't show the play clock either.
— Melanie Friedlander (@Girlsurgeon) November 26, 2023
This is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Thankfully, the issue was resolved before long, with the clock restored to workable usage around the two-minute mark of the first half.
