The NFL’s Conference Championships have come and gone, and Super Bowl LVII has been set, but the drama from the penultimate game of the NFL season still lingers. The Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers may have valiantly lost, but the sour taste of defeat still lingers. And as we all know, the internet keeps receipts. Stay tuned, as we will dive into the latest round of drama, thanks to NFL refs, that will launch some two teams into the offseason.
49ers vs Eagles Drama | NFC Championship NFL Refs
The highly-anticipated NFC Championship saw the Philadelphia Eagles handily beat the 49ers, 31-7. Which, in hindsight, seems only natural after the 49ers were reduced to their fourth starting quarterback, Josh Johnson, this year. The Californians’ Super Bowl aspirations were kneecapped after Brock Purdy suffered a complete UCL tear early in the contest. Amazingly, the QB injury woes continued, as Johnson was later knocked out of the contest, forcing Purdy to make an ill-fated return.
As the Eagles started to pull away with the lead, the 49ers’ frustrations started to boil to the surface. The game did go out with a bang, as All-Pro tackle Trent Williams found himself ejected after starting a fight. Admittingly, it was the most fight that the team had shown all game, pun intended.
However, the agony started from the get-go, as the NFL refs were unable to overturn what would’ve been an amazing catch by DeVonta Smith (had it actually been completed, as the video would show it wasn’t).
This was not the only blown call by the refs, as many fans took the internet to point out the multiple false starts that were never called against the birds.
Down to their fourth-string QB and forced to play the injured third-string rookie, Purdy, the 49ers didn’t stand a chance. Even without the help of the NFL refs, the Eagles would have probably run away with a victory, as the odds were too much to overcome for the Shanahan-led 49ers.
Bengals vs Chiefs Drama | AFC Championship NFL Refs
The highly-touted AFC Championship rematch brewed some major trash talk in the week leading up to the climatic bout. The mayor of Cincinnati even got in on the anticipated clash, releasing a statement video where he questions Mahomes’ real father (alluded to be Joe Burrow). Let me reiterate this to convey the absurdity — the city that had Jerry Springer as its mayor had a different one perform crazier antics than the controversial talk show host.
The game, which was honestly a Super Bowl in and of itself, was riddled with controversial calls by the referees. Outside of the horrendous officiating, the game played itself to the expectation of fans everywhere, as a close contest. The Bengals ultimately met their season’s end at the hand of the Chiefs, 23-20. Despite the odds stacked against them, the Bengals still kept themselves within arms reach of a victory. The most controversial officiating fiasco can be seen in the thread below:
Despite the rampant calls of a rigged NFL running rampant on the internet, the Bengals did not do themselves any favors with the last-second unnecessary roughness penalty. That call made Harrison Butker’s final field goal all the easier to secure as the clock wound down to zero.
Drama For The Ages
Conference Championship weekend of the NFL season did not disappoint, as the drama before, during, and after is what makes the NFL the greatest reality show on television year after year. It should also be noted that this past weekend’s slate is a perfect example of letting your play do the talking instead of your mouth, as the Chiefs and Eagles were able to get the last laugh after the final whistle was blown, much to their opponent’s chagrin.
Travis Kelce and Orlando Brown left perfect soundbites to linger rent-free in the Bengals’ heads in their post-game interviews. Kelce even returned the blow to Cincinnati’s mayor by calling him a “jabroni.” Additionally, the Eagles, in perfect Philadelphia fashion, lit the city ablaze following the triumphant victory. Which, in their own way, is the ultimate celebration.
In summation, the Championship Sunday drama did not disappoint, but the NFL refs certainly did.
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