Did NFL just admit they screwed Raiders over in playoffs?

The officiating crew from the Raiders-Bengals game won’t work again this postseason. This is after several controversial calls went against Vegas.

While the NFL didn’t publicly shame Jerome Boger and his crew for their performance in Saturday’s Wild Card playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders, privately is a different story.

Boger’s crew will not referee another game this postseason, and for good reason. They counted a touchdown which occurred despite an erroneous whistle.

Tyler Boyd scored a touchdown to put the Bengals up 20-6 before the end of the first half. Only problem? The Raiders heard an officials blow his whistle, which would’ve resulted in a stoppage of play.

Are refs to blame for Raiders loss?

“We confirmed with the referee and the crew that on that play — they got together and talked — they determined that they had a whistle, but that the whistle for them on the field was blown after the receiver caught the ball,” VP of officiating Walt Anderson said, according to a pool report.

Understandably, the Raiders were upset in the moment, especially considering Vegas lost by a touchdown.

“In the moment, we didn’t know because we heard a whistle,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “The ref said he was out, and then they said it was a touchdown — and then there was no review. So we were just like, ‘All right,’ so we just kept going. We had our opportunities. We just didn’t capitalize.”

The Raiders said all the right things postgame, and took their loss in stride.

Fans, however, aren’t as kind and understanding. The uncertain future of Derek Carr and others leaves Vegas supporters wanting more and wondering what if. Officiating should not decide the outcome of a playoff game.