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Justin Herbert struggled to get going for the Chargers against the Ravens, and the referees did not help. In the very first drive of the game, the Los Angeles quarterback had led the team into the red zone. He decided to scramble and pick up some yards. To avoid a hit, he stepped off the field as he tried to get a first-and-goal.
But he got smashed either way as two Ravens devenders converged and pushed him down to the ground. As that happened, the Chargers offense came to the defense of their quarterback and a skirmish ensued. The referees came to break it up and threw a flag.
Most people assumed that the Chargers will get the ball and yards for the late hit on their quarterback. Instead, it was them who were penalized for instigating the fracas and pushed back 15 yards. What could have been a golden opportunity to score a touchdown instead became a third-and-long and they had to settle for a field goal. Los Angeles could not get into the end zone during that half after the incident.
It sapped their momentum completely and NFL fans were none too pleased with the referees for failing to call a penalty in Justin Herbert's favor.
Referees irk Los Angeles Chargers fans for failing to protect Justin Herbert
Chargers fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make sure that people knew they were not happy with the referees. They even referenced the salary the officials are currently getting and asked why they were so bad at their job. Here are some of these posts from the social media platform.
Chargers Ravens marred by inconsitent refereeing
It was not just that call that the referees got wrong. There was an incident right after that when, on a kick, the returner called for a fair catch but was upended by the Ravens rusher. It should have clear interference and yet it was not called, causing the Chargers to begin much deeper in their own territory.
However, it was not one-sided as the referees took some decisions that did nothing to make the Ravens' job easier. Twice, when it looked as if they had picked up first down, they called it back. Once Baltimore managed to pick it up. The other time they were stopped and it allowed Justin Herbert to return to the field.
However, we cannot always rely on referees to even out their wrong calls on both sides of the ball. A serious connversation needs to be had on automatic reviews and TV officials, if needed, as they have in rugby.
