NFL Countdown: The 'Fail Mary' epitomizes league officiating's lowest point

In 2012, with the NFL and the Referees Association unable to reach a compromise on a collective bargaining agreement, NFL officials withdrew their labor shortly before the scheduled start of the season.

Unwilling to bow to the pressure being applied by the NFLRA, and with the real risk of the season having to be postponed, the league hatched what they believed was a foolproof plan to resolve the problem.

They would simply draft in replacement officials from other leagues, such as the Legends and Arena Leagues, and supplement them with officials from the high school and college ranks.

Stories quickly emerged that some of these officials drafted in from alternative leagues had been fired due to incompetence. But that did not deter the NFL, as they were insistent that the show must go on.

Warning signs ignored before the 'Fail Mary' forces a climbdown

As the 2012 NFL season kicked off as scheduled, senior management was convinced that a potential disaster had been averted. Barring a mix-up with timeouts during the Seahawks and Cardinals encounter, the first round of games passed without any issues.

But the Week 2 match-up between the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons should perhaps have served as a warning to the league. The game was marred by several poor decisions, three of which were overturned on review.

However, the main talking point from the game emanated from a mass brawl involving both sidelines, as the officials totally lost control.

The game was delayed for over five minutes, and officials were verbally abused by the coaching staff, with one official being bumped by Atlanta Falcons defensive end Ray Edwards. Despite this, no one was ejected.

By this point, the NFL Players Association had seen enough, and issued a strongly worded statement, criticizing the league and Commissioner Goodell, while demanding that they end the lockout. It read:

"It is lost on us as to how you allow a Commissioner to cavalierly issue suspensions and fines in the name of player health and safety yet permit the wholesale removal of the officials that you trained and entrusted to maintain that very health and safety."

They continued:

"It has been reported that the two sides are now apart by approximately $60,000 per team. We note that your Commissioner has fined an individual player as much in the name of 'safety'.

"Your actions are looking more and more like simple greed ... You cannot simply switch to a group of cheaper officials and fulfill your legal, moral, and duty obligations to us and our fans."

The pleas of the NFLPA fell on deaf ears, but by the end of Week 3, the NFL would have to answer to an entire fanbase, as their ill-conceived plans crumbled in dramatic fashion.

Over the course of the weekend, multiple match-ups were impacted by poor officiating. Everything finally came to a head on Monday Night Football, where the Seattle Seahawks took on the Green Bay Packers.

With just seconds remaining, the Seahawks trailled and needed a touchdown to win. Only having time for one last play, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson managed to buy some time before launching one final 'Hail Mary' into the end zone.

Packers safety MD Jennings and Seahawks wideout Golden Tate both went up for the ball, with the defender clearly coming down with it to complete an interception. At this very moment, everything fell apart when the back judge correctly ruled it an interception, only for the line judge to simultaneously signal for a touchdown.

As chaos ensued, the match referee got involved, and the officials deliberated about what to do, while looking completely overawed by the whole situation. Eventually, they incorrectly ruled it a touchdown, handing the win to Seattle, as a national television audience watched on in disbelief.

The backlash from the NFL community, players, and coaches was immediate, as the league suddenly found itself facing a tsunami of criticism. Within days, the NFL resolved the labor dispute with the Referees Association, and full-time officials made a welcome return in Week 4.

All fans like to complain about the officials, but 2012 serves as a reminder of how bad it can be, because without them we do not have a game at all.