Earlier in the 2018 season, the Los Angeles Chargers scored a touchdown thanks to a down judge missing a penalty so obvious that it made him the first NFL official of the Super Bowl era to get fired midseason. Less than two months later, the Chargers benefitted from the same exact thing.
The Chargers scored a touchdown after an obvious false start for the 2nd time this year
This might be the Chargers’ most effective play.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Philip Rivers connected with Travis Benjamin for a 46-yard touchdown Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but not before right tackle Sam Tevi clearly jumped early:
No false start was called on the play and the Chargers escaped with a much-needed touchdown to make the score 13-7. During halftime, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told NBC’s Michele Tafoya that the officials admitted it was a mistake and should’ve been called a penalty.
For comparison, here’s the first time the Chargers got away with an obvious false start and scored a touchdown during their Week 6 win against the Browns:
The NFL didn’t say whether or not the missed call against the Browns was the only reason down judge Hugo Cruz was abruptly fired. It did seem to come out of nowhere, though.
So given the precedent set by that firing, it would seem like a mirror image of the horrible Week 6 call could get another official fired.
But no matter how the NFL handles the situation, it won’t make the Steelers feel any better about the Chargers getting seven points on the scoreboard — especially when LA ended up winning 33-30.
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