Facing a 4th and 1 at the Cincinnati 39-yard line, it appeared that the Bengals and quarterback Joe Burrow had drawn Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts offsides, which would have moved the chains late in the first half.
Tight end Tanner Hudson came down under center and it looked like the Bengals were going to quick snap the football, which caused Roberts to trigger downhill and get into the neutral zone. At the same time, Bengals right guard Alex Cappa moved to engage Roberts, trying to catch him in the neutral zone.
It looked like it from the CBS broadcast that Roberts had encroached. But Shawn Hochuli’s crew ruled that Cappa had moved first, calling the Bengals’ right guard for a false start, turning it into a 4th and 6 and leading to a Bengals punt.
The Steelers capitalized, adding a field goal to end the first half to take a 27-21 lead into the break.
“They were [in the neutral zone]. That was a disappointing call,” Burrow said of the penalty going against the Bengals in their 44-38 loss, according to video via the Bengals’ Twitter page. “I got a lot of respect for that crew, but they missed that one.”
It certainly seems like the officials missed the call, and it worked out in the Steelers’ favor.
After the punt, the Steelers marched right down the field, which was a common theme all day. Eight plays and 65 yards later, Chris Boswell drilled a 34-yard field goal to send the Steelers into the half with that 27-21 lead.
The penalty was a significant swing in the game. If the right call is made, the Bengals get a new set of downs and have a chance to put up points late in the first half. Instead, they were dejected and ended up giving up points at the other end.
“Yeah, it was big play in the game. There’s about, I don’t know, maybe two, two minutes, 50 seconds left about that point. And that’s the first down for us,” Burrow said. “And you know, maybe we go get points, maybe we don’t. But then they get the ball and they go get three and you know, I don’t think they do that if the call is correct in that situation.
“A lot more went wrong than that, but that was a big call in the game.”
It was a big call in the game, and a lot more went wrong for the Bengals than the false-start penalty, including two strip-sacks of Burrow and an interception in the fourth quarter, leading to their six-point loss. Maybe things are different if the Bengals get the call there on the 4th and 1. Maybe not.
But it sure did seem like officials got the call wrong in the moment, and that stuck with Burrow after the loss to the Steelers essentially ended the Bengals’ slim playoff hopes.
