Refs missed Rams false start penalty on key holding call

Cincinnati Bengals fans were furious over a late defensive holding call in Super Bowl LVI that led to the game-winning touchdown, and they were probably even more angry when they realized the play never should have counted.

The Bengals were leading 20-16 with less than two minutes remaining and looked like they might come up with a huge stop in the red zone. Logan Wilson batted a pass down that was intended for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp on 3rd-and-8, but the Bengals linebacker was called for holding. The contact looked minimal in a game where the officials allowed plenty of physical play. You can see the video here.

There’s also a question of whether the ball should have been snapped. Replays appeared to show that several Rams players committed false starts. As you can see below, the ball clearly hadn’t been snapped when at least three linemen moved:

So we’re all in agreement that was a false start before the holding call, correct? pic.twitter.com/yNxKzXQXh0

— Elijah Herbel (@HerbelEssences) February 14, 2022

Officials have seemingly been letting those early starts slide all season. They also let plenty go on Sunday, including a blatant penalty on a play where the Bengals scored a 75-yard touchdown (video here). If they weren’t going to call the false start, they certainly should not have called the defensive hold in such a crucial situation.