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NFL Refs Ripped for Missing Most Obvious Penalty of Season in Texans-Patriots Game
Being a NFL referee isn't the easiest of jobs. The action moves pretty quickly and the pressure of the job has to feel like a lot. So while they should be commended for the work that they do, they should also get called out a bit when they miss an obvious call that everyone watching the game could have called.
That happened during Sunday's Texans-Patriots game when Houston's Mario Edwards Jr. grabbed Antonio Gibson's facemask on a play early in the third quarter and almost ripped the running back's head off.
The announcers rightfully couldn't believe that the refs missed this one because look at how obvious it was:
This wasn’t called a face mask in the Patriots-Texans game…
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) October 13, 2024
All-time terrible year at the referee position.pic.twitter.com/FcBYsDby26
Making matters even worse for the Patriots is that Drake Maye fumbled the ball away on the next play, which then led to a Houston TD just a few moments later.
NFL fans couldn't believe that facemask wasn't called:
Probably the worst missed facemask call I've ever witnessed.. @nflcommish fix this bs! NFL is pitiful to watch week after week. https://t.co/82WpAc2P2w
— Brandon Baxter † (@BBax21) October 13, 2024
Wish I could screw up at work this badly and still have a job 🙃 https://t.co/hoYplDQKmK
— Christina Moretti (@ChristinaM1246) October 13, 2024
Snapped this man’s neck and not called https://t.co/c8wlAEUOTd
— Lee📸 (@Tenshotz__) October 13, 2024
somebody needs to explain to me how you can miss that https://t.co/5qP3bCXHMo
— Hogan (@CFB_Hogan) October 13, 2024
Probably one of the worst officiated games of the season so far lol https://t.co/qYUA1xsRkK
— RC 🚀 (@RocketsCulture) October 13, 2024
Yup. This had me turning the air blue I’ll tell ya. https://t.co/daHfCUdYqA
— Clare Cooper (@clazzyclare) October 13, 2024
I guess you can rip a dudes head off without it being a flag. These refs have been working with the Texans all game. https://t.co/6DRyJ6n93p
— T (@preppy_king) October 13, 2024
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Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.