The Cleveland Browns made their victory of the Baltimore Ravens much more difficult than it seemed like it had to be. The Browns had a commanding lead at halftime but took their foot off the gas and allowed undrafted rookie Tyler Huntley to lead the Ravens comeback attempt.
For most Cleveland fans, the outcome of the game was decided when Baltimore recovered the onside kick. With kicker Justin Tucker almost automatic inside 60 yards (only slight hyperbole there), it seemed like only a matter of time before the Ravens were taking a one-point victory home with them.
Instead, the defense stepped up with a couple of big plays to seal the game.
They shouldn’t have had to. While Andy Janovich should have tried to catch the onside instead of blocking, Baltimore should have been penalized on the play according to veteran official Terry McAulay:
Here’s the rule for kicking team formations. 4 Baltimore players were illegal before the ball was kicked. On the bottom, players 2, 3, and 5 from the sideline. From the top, the 2nd player from the sideline. https://t.co/KnTNe7e7BN pic.twitter.com/YxmHD67E4T
— Terry McAulay (@SNFRules) December 12, 2021
Four (4!!!) Ravens should have been flagged on the play. Maybe the officials just weren’t paying attention? A zoomed-in video of the official at the bottom of the screen shows him telling Baltimore players that they were too far back but he doesn’t throw the flag despite them not moving:
How do the refs wave the player forward, see that he doesn’t, and then decide NOT to throw a flag pic.twitter.com/Wf9eUdXypy
— veverkap (@veverkap) December 13, 2021
The Browns still won the game but the failures by the officials throughout the season have been maddening for most watching the NFL. The failure to flag players despite obviously noticing is even more of a transgression.
