A few weeks into the 2024 season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was able to dodge a rising storyline from the ’23 season regarding the league’s crisis. After Monday night’s game between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, he no longer has that luxury.

Over the course of 60 minutes in prime time, a clumsy, hypersensitive officiating crew hurled 22 flags, many in rapid succession from one play to the next. Many of these calls led to equally horrible makeup-style calls, not to mention what appeared to be a botched on-field call that was quickly halted by a booth review, leaving a desperate coach unable to sort it out days (even though that coach was likely egged on by John Parry, a longtime NFL referee and former ESPN in-house rules analyst).

This is how you can tell that the game was poorly managed: when the league’s broadcast partners, who essentially get paid a nice wage to present a product in the best light to the masses, are unable to excuse what is happening to them eyes happens.

Let’s discuss some of the more egregious moments, all of which took place in the final two hectic quarters of an absolutely critical AFC East division matchup with first place on the line:

• With 9:32 left in the third quarter, Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa was flagged for the body weight rule. On the pitch, the referee called it an ‘unnecessary second act’, even though it was clear the defensive end tried to pry the ball out of Aaron Rodgers’ grasp and then dropped off his back once the play was over. The call revitalized a struggling Jets offense and helped them move down the field for points.

With 4:47 left in the third quarter, Jets defensive back DJ Reed was flagged for pass interference on a play in which it appeared Mack Hollins simply rammed himself into the cornerback with what would generously be considered B-movie acting. The chaotic flailing at that moment was almost comical.

• At the 5:18 mark of the fourth quarter, Jets defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was flagged for leading Josh Allen back to the ground in what we could assume was a make-up for the blatant bodyweight flag on Buffalo. Later during the ride he was also fined for having an inappropriate conversation with an official.

• At 3:43, Aaron Rodgers actually held the ball over the shoulder of a Bills defender and fell to the ground. On the field, the play was ruled a fumble. It was reversed after replay assist. Bills coach Sean McDermott appeared to ask if he could challenge after all. It would be safe to assume he was guided to that decision by Parry, who now works for the Bills. Since there was replay assist involved, he couldn’t do that.

• At 2:52 of the fourth quarter, Rodgers skied a ball over Garrett Wilson’s head on third-and-4, leaving the receiver largely unhindered as he made a layup-like maneuver in an attempt to fake his attempt to catch the ball . Bills defenseman Christian Benford, aside from an idle hand on the back of Wilson’s jersey, did not appear to redirect the wide receiver or change his route in any way. Benford was flagged for pass interference anyway, giving New York 10 yards and a new set of downs.

Both of the last two calls were integral to extending the Jets’ final drive, which ended with a Rodgers interception anyway.

One or possibly two of these calls over the course of an NFL game are understandable. I wrote a few years ago that this game is becoming increasingly out of control without giving these referees more time, more replay help, or more tools to combat the inability to spot some of these violations at warp speed. More than twenty of them, many of which took place in the home stretch of a standalone primetime match after it became clear that the team had lost the rhythm of the match and was on the verge of losing control of the players on the pitch, unforgivable. .

Rodgers himself said in his postgame interview that both pass interference calls, including the one that ended with a 260-pound human on top of him, were incorrect.

Although it has been repeated time and time again, the moment the league became a vehicle for sports betting was the moment these officials would be examined blacklight forensic lab-style at every game – and the more they would continue to become a platform. crucial role in this conspiratorial tale of the league’s ability to sway the outcome of a match.

I don’t believe the NFL is in the business of fixing games, and neither should you, but the league should be in the business of being so incredibly informed, so ridiculously thorough, so completely sure of its own rulebook that the Thinking cannot penetrate the mainstream and pierce the legitimacy of the product. What we saw on Monday was a lack of trust personified; nerves that give rise to a strange conservatism and then the need to rebalance everything.

Without acting as a backdrop, Monday night was the dream of the competition. Ridiculous, wind-blown steps that crashed into the uprights. Rodgers throws a Hail Mary touchdown. The Jets waved in front of their owner, who was confident that firing Robert Saleh, the beloved defensive head coach, would spark the offense. It was the perfect combination of pregame story and compelling product. The total package. If the referees had stayed out of it, we might have remembered the match that way.