On Sunday, before another slew of bad calls and some sideline chaos marred the on-field product in the afternoon and late-game window, I wrote what I assume has become glaringly obvious to us all: the NFL product is substandard. And it’s not just because of the rash of quarterback injuries, or the fact that defenses have caught up and, while doing all they can to survive, have managed to slow scoring down in the process.
It’s the fact that there is no consistency or rhythm to the officiating of any football games. Forget the reality show bleed into the product. I’m talking about actively managing a football game like officials once could; where we didn’t really notice that the game was being officiated. I imagine the NFL will allow this to blow over just like it does everything else. I imagine officials will disappear in the conference title games and through the Super Bowl so as to avoid a talking point heading into their offseason jubilee and allow some miracle pass that should have clearly been flagged in the grasp.
Really, we’ve been asking these questions for years. Since 2019, after the Saints were knocked out of a Super Bowl by one of the worst missed calls in NFL history. We watch still, but the suspicion and unease surrounding the officiating crisis has certainly changed the conversation. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a casual chat about football without being asked: what the hell was with that call?
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