Bengals only have themselves to blame for controversial delay of game penalty

The Cincinnati Bengals fell into an early deficit in the race for the AFC North crown. After winning just one of their first four games, Cincinnati entered their Week 5 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens at risk of falling three games behind their divisional foes. 

Holding a 17-14 lead in the third quarter, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow marched his offense down to the goal line in hopes of taking a two-score lead. On a third-and-goal with 9:07 remaining, the officiating crew threw the dreaded yellow penalty flag. The infraction was deemed to be a delay of game by the Bengals.

The penalty drew attention since an official was standing over the ball and restricting Burrow from snapping the ball while the play clock was winding down. There was barely one second left on the play clock by the time the official stepped away, and the penalty flags flew almost immediately.

Cincinnati was forced to take a five-yard penalty, which could have proven costly. Near the goal line, five yards can be the difference between a touchdown and a field goal. 

Bengals coaches to blame for controversial delay of game penalty

While the delay of game penalty drew the ire of Bengals fans, the officiating crew was following standard protocol for substitutions. If Cincinnati made substitutions late in the play clock, Baltimore is entitled to make their own substitutions in accordance with the league’s quick snap-rules.

The responsibility for the play clock ultimately falls on Cincinnati since they are deciding when to make the substitutions.

The substitution rule is detailed in the NFL Rulebook under Rule 5, Section 2, Article 10, “Defensive matchups following substitutions.”

Rule 5-2-10 states:

“If a substitution is made by the offense, the offense shall not be permitted to snap the ball until the defense has been permitted to respond with its substitutions.“

If the offense makes a late substitution, the “Umpire will stand over the ball until the Referee deems that the defense has had a reasonable time to complete its substitutions.”

The Ravens were given time to match the Bengals’ substitutions. The last Baltimore defender was seen running off the field with roughly five seconds remaining, but the umpire stood over the ball for a few more seconds to allow the defense to line up.

Rule 5-2-10-d states, “If the play clock expires before the defense has completed its substitution, it is delay of game by the offense.”

With the rise of the no-huddle offense, teams often attempted to make late substitutions to catch the defense in a disadvantageous situation. With little time to evaluate the offensive personnel, defenses can have difficulty getting the right combination of players on the field to match the offensive formation. By making late substitutions and snapping the ball quickly, offenses could catch the defense offsides or with too many men on the field.

Ultimately, the penalty made no difference. Burrow threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins on the following play.

Despite taking a 24-14 lead with less than nine minutes left in the third quarter, the Bengals ultimately unraveled. Baltimore rallied to pull off a 41-38 victory in overtime, dropping Cincinnati to a 1-4 record. The Ravens improved to a 3-2 record with their third consecutive win, tying them for the lead in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers.