Officials in Raiders-Bengals wild-card game frustrate fans on both sides

The first wild-card playoff game of the 2021 NFL season produced a lot of frustration among Raiders and Bengals fans, and not just because of how their teams were playing. They were also upset with questionable or missed calls by the officiating crew.

There were 14 accepted penalties in the 26-19 Bengals victory. All five of the Raiders’ starting offensive linemen were penalized during the game, according to The Associated Press. The Raiders finished with seven penalties for 46 yards while the Bengals had seven penalties for 56 yards. 

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Playoff officiating crews are “all-star” units composed of officials from various crews. For this game, Jerome Boger was the referee. He has been an NFL referee since 2004.

As it turns out, Boger’s performance wasn’t entirely unexpected. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, a front office official fully expected the crew’s sub-par outing.

But Boger’s crew, for all its experience, left fans confused by some of the decisions it made. Here’s a look at five questionable calls or missed calls and a sampling of how fans reacted to them on Twitter:

MORE: Bengals vs. Raiders final score, results

Early whistle on a Joe Burrow TD pass

Arguably the biggest wild call was made late in the second quarter when Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd. Boyd caught the pass without trouble, but no touchdown was called right away. This was because an official blew his whistle before Boyd caught the ball. The official thought Burrow stepped out of bounds before he released the ball.

The NFL rulebook reads: “(W)hen an official sounds the whistle erroneously while the ball is still in play, the ball becomes dead immediately.” The play is not reviewable. Nonetheless, the touchdown stood.

MORE: Bengals touchdown vs. Raiders stands despite erroneous whistle by official

Pass to Hunter Renfrow

In the third quarter, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw a deep pass to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow appeared to catch the ball, but Bengals safety Jessie Bates III knocked it out of his hands and it bounced out of bounds. The ruling on the field was a reception and a fumble. 

Cincinnati challenged the ruling. The call was reversed, with the officials changing it to an incomplete pass.

MORE: Why Peyton Barber cost the Raiders 38 yards with failed attempt at exploiting NFL kickoff rules

12 men on the field

The Raiders had 12 men on the field for one play, but the officials did not catch it. Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward noticed the potential penalty, however, so he called a timeout before the crew noticed.

Ja’Marr Chase’s uncalled push-off

In the first quarter, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase appeared to push off against Raiders cornerback Desmond Trufant before a reception. No penalty was called. These fans thought Chase should have been flagged.

Khalid Kareem’s roughing the passer penalty

With less than two minutes remaining in the game and the Raiders attempting to tie the game or take the lead, Bengals defensive end Khalid Kareem was flagged for roughing Derek Carr. Looking at the video, however, it appears that Kareem hit Carr in the shoulder and maybe the face mask. The call sparked a lot of reactions from fans who didn’t believe the hit was that “rough.”