NFL

NFL Referee Conspiracies: These Terrible Calls Have Fans Crying Fix

Darren Ryding - April 18, 2025

NFL

NFL Referee Conspiracies: These Terrible Calls Have Fans Crying Fix

Darren Ryding - April 18, 2025

In today’s National Football League (NFL), everyone loves to hate referees. And based on the sheer number of perceivable bad calls that seem to influence the end of games lately, it’s hard to blame them. However, that’s not always fair and each situation has its unique details. They have a thankless job in their role to keep players safe and ensure a level playing field. Nonetheless, the standard of NFL referee calls is dropping and we’ve seen some shocking decisions over the past couple of seasons.

This standard is seemingly getting worse with each passing week as well. It’s gotten so bad that fans are even accusing the NFL of fixing games because some of the calls seem so blatant. Remember, this isn’t impossible because they are technically a “sports entertainment” company in a legal sense rather than a pure sport. So today we’ll look at some of the most shocking NFL referee calls from the 2022 and 2023 seasons that have fans wondering if the product they watch every Sunday is legit as the league claims. Check them out and decide for yourself here.

Jets vs. Patriots (2023)

Let’s caveat this by saying that the Patriots didn’t play well when they met their division rival New York Jets in 2023. But it also doesn’t help when it seems like the refs are against them. Referees made their presence felt too strongly during this clash. Mac Jones threw a pass to Demario Douglas and defensive back Michael Carter intervened.

Carter blindly groped at the rookie’s mask as he tried to catch the ball. Somehow the officials didn’t think that this constituted pass interference or even illegal use of hands. Everyone watching knew that it was one of the worst NFL referee calls of the season so far (via Fansided).

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Falcons vs. Buccaneers (2022)

Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay teammates enjoyed a tight victory over the Falcons in 2022 but there was controversy. That’s because the officials left their mark on the game like a child forgetting to flush the toilet. Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett tackled Tom Brady in a fair play late in the fourth quarter.

But the officials didn’t see it this way and flagged him for roughing the passer. There was instant outrage online and some people accused them of showing Brady blatant favoritism. Many of them said that this was one of the worst roughing-the-passer calls ever made because it was so soft (via Bleacher Report).

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Ravens vs. Titans (2023)

The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans traveled to London for this clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, the UK fans received an unwanted taste of the NFL’s garbage officiating. That’s because they flagged the Ravens a couple of times for pass interference (via Sky Sports).

Referee Bill Vinovich and his team hand out more pass interference calls than anyone else in the NFL. They handed them out like candy and infuriated John Harbaugh along the way. One penalty call on Marcus Williams was particularly bad and left fans shaking their heads in despair.

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Patriots vs. Vikings (2022)

There are few things more annoying on an NFL field than when referees wrongly rule out touchdowns. Hunter Henry found this out the hard way after he caught a Mac Jones pass. But the officials infuriated every New England fan by ruling it an incompletion (via Sportskeeda).

Meanwhile, they missed it when a Vikings player gripped Mac Jones’ facemask before he threw an incomplete pass. There were also missed holding calls and they allowed a timeout after a delay in the game. They were some of the worst NFL referee calls we’ve ever seen.

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49ers vs. Browns (2023)

Fans couldn’t believe their eyes during this Sunday afternoon game. That’s because they saw one of the most annoying calls of the week. Cleveland QB P.J. Walker fumbled the ball under pressure from the Niners defense. But the officials knew better in their wisdom because they judged that it was an incomplete pass.

It didn’t matter that the replays proved that it was a fumble and that everybody watching this game knew it. They made one of the worst NFL referee calls of the season and annoyed the world in the process. Moments like these can change games and that is why it’s so egregious (via Athlon Sports).

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Lions vs. Packers (2022)

The Lions couldn’t believe this referee’s mistake because it was so bad. Time ran out before Green Bay snapped the ball at the end of the third quarter. The clock hit zero before another couple of seconds went by that felt like forever. Then Jordan Love flung the ball downfield.

This gave them a 44-yard gain and they scored a touchdown after another couple of plays. Nobody understood why the officials allowed it to stand because it was an obvious mistake. Detroit fans believed that there was a conspiracy against them but maybe the referees just don’t know what they’re doing (via USA Today Sports).

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Buccaneers vs. Falcons (2023)

Fans openly accused the officials of taking bribes during this game. One fan tweeted: “I’ve never seen a game like this Falcons game. The refs have to have the Bucs’ money line. Three defensive holding calls on 3rd downs only reason the Bucs have points. This is brutal.”

The teams combined for 14 penalties before the end of the second quarter. Tampa Bay was on the wrong side of eight of these and it felt like the officials didn’t want them to do anything. It was one of the worst overall refereeing displays ever and the fans had a right to feel aggrieved (via Pro Football Network).

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Dolphins vs. Eagles (2023)

Everyone knows that football players can’t grab their opponents’ facemasks. Some athletes do it anyway because they think it’s worth the risk. James Bradberry proved this because he escaped without any punishment against the Dolphins. The cornerback grabbed Miami wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr.’s helmet during the third quarter.

This blatantly prevented Wilson from catching Tua Tagovailoa’s pass and was a clear penalty. But then came one of the worst NFL referee calls of the year because the referees disagreed. Amazingly, they flagged the Dolphins nine times compared to zero for the Eagles causing the fans to cry ‘fix’ (via Athlon Sports).

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Steelers vs. Rams (2023)

A controversial ball placement call marred this game and irritated fans across the league. With all of the technology in football today, there’s no excuse for this type of mistake. The Steelers knew that a single yard would seal a win over the Rams so Kenny Pickett powered forward (via Pro Football Network).

The referees awarded the first down but the Rams believed that Pickett stopped short of the line. Replays were conclusive and showed they were right as Pickett was obviously short of the line to gain. But because the Rams didn’t have any timeouts left, they couldn’t contest the mistake by challenging the obviously bad spot. In the end, one of the dumbest NFL referee calls ever handed the Steelers the game.

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Seahawks vs. Rams (2022)

Seattle benefited from several horrible calls in this decisive regular season game that had major consequences. It sent them to the playoffs while the Detroit Lions narrowly missed out. One of the worst NFL referee calls saw them flag Jonah Williams for running into Michael Dickson.

But there was nothing in it and it was a garbage decision. This was one of several terrible calls throughout one of the worst officiated games ever. An anonymous executive told ESPN that there is “a real groundswell of unhappiness with officiating that is much deeper than I’ve seen and frankly, I haven’t seen in this league in years.”

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Eagles vs. Jets (2023)

The Jets were always up against it in this game against the Eagles because they had no Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, the Eagles were arguably the best team in the NFC as the defending conference champs. But the officials made their job almost impossible with some of the worst NFL referee calls ever (via The Jet Press).

‘Refs, you suck’ boors broke out at the MetLife Stadium after an abysmal call. They flagged Allen Lazard for a blindside block despite the reality that he made perfect contact with Reed Blankenship’s torso. There was nothing wrong with the block but in this game of marginal differences, it cost the Jets dearly.

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Colts vs. Browns (2023)

Here’s one of the dumbest pass interference calls ever. Officials decided that Amari Cooper had bionic arms and would have caught P.J. Walker’s overshot pass. Maybe they thought that he was Mr. Fantastic or Stretch Armstrong because that’s the only way he was catching that ball.

But they still punished the Colts and gave the Browns the ball on the one-yard line. This was a close game and moments like these can be life or death for teams. Imagine if this was the call that decided who won their division and made it to the playoffs (via Fox 56).

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49ers vs. Eagles (2022)

Sometimes nothing goes right for a team when the stakes are high. The Niners didn’t reach their full potential against the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Brock Purdy’s compromised elbow involving a torn UCL didn’t help but the cherry on top came when the officials turned against them.

They slapped the Niners with 11 penalties and only hit the Eagles with four. Most of these were petty calls while there was one egregious moment that killed the game. A roughing-the-kick call enraged everybody except Philly fans. But nobody wants to hand them a bone (via Fansided).

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Titans vs. Browns (2023)

Football fans called for the officials to get their eyes checked after one of the most confusing NFL referee calls ever. Deshaun Watson found Amari Cooper with a 25-yard-pass that set the receiver free down the sideline towards an obvious touchdown. Bizarrely, the sideline referee signaled that he was out of bounds (via Akron Beacon Journal).

Anyone with functional eyes could see that Cooper stayed on the field. However, the official inadvertently blew his whistle and they couldn’t review the play. Maybe it was a human error but there are too many of these in the NFL nowadays. It certainly didn’t make it any sweeter for the Browns to swallow either.

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