The Cincinnati Bengals had a huge call go against them during the first half of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and they have every right to be furious about it.
The Bengals had 4th-and-1 from their own 39-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Zac Taylor lined his team up to go for it, and it looked like the hard count worked to perfection. Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts jumped into the neutral zone, so right guard Alex Cappa wisely came out of his stance.
Cappa clearly came out of his stance in response to Roberts jumping across the line, but the officials called a false start on the Bengals:
HOW in the world is this a false start on the Bengals???? Steelers clearly entered the neutral zone… pic.twitter.com/xXBhvDceVz
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 1, 2024
Offensive linemen are coached to react exactly like Cappa did in order to draw a neutral zone infraction call. That exact play would probably result in a penalty against the defense 99 times out of 100. For whatever reason, the Bengals did not get the call.
Cincinnati then decided to punt, and the Steelers put together a field goal drive to take a 27-21 lead into the half. Had the Bengals been correctly awarded a first down, they would have had an opportunity to secure points of their own before the break.
