Refs miss deluge of Ravens penalties on final play of Bengals TNF loss

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 35-34, in a thrilling, back-and-forth affair that had no business being played on a Thursday night.

It ultimately came down to a single play in the final seconds, as Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase in the back of the end zone for a game-tying touchdown with 38 seconds on the clock. Or, so we thought. The Ravens' lead trimmed to one-point, Cincinnati opted against the extra-point kick in favor of a two-point conversion attempt.

Talk about a gutsy call. Rather than dueling Lamar Jackson for another period, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor decided to hinge the entire game on a single pass. Burrow was able to remain upright in the pocket, but he fired a pass too high and too strong for tight end Tanner Hudson. It fell incomplete, and the game was over. Ravens win.

That is an innately controversial decision, and Taylor is sure to incur the wrath of Bengals fans for the next week. Cincinnati falls to 4-6 with the loss, so there are severe postseason implications. The Bengals are running out of time to close the gap in a competitive AFC Wild Card race.

While Taylor is deserving of blame, he may be absolved by an unlikely source (okay, who am I kidding, a very likely source). The refs were in peak form in the final seconds of Thursday's game, enraging fans coast-to-coast with a couple egregious missed calls on Cincy's failed two-point conversion.

Bengals failed two-point conversion against Ravens marred by blatant missed penalty calls

A quick zoom into the Bengals' ill-fated two-point conversion reveals a couple glaring instances of swallowed whistles. Both should-be penalties were in plain view of cameras and everybody watching at home, so there's no real excuse — other than the time-honored tradition of last-second throws being officiated as free-for-alls in the NFL.

Most infuriating was this missed defensive holding call, as Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki was basically pulled to the ground by his defender.

That alone is enough to justify the vitriol spewing out of the Bengals fandom right now. But, there was another obvious penalty that went uncalled — this one against beloved quarterback Joe Burrow, who was thwacked in the face by a defender after his errant throw. Where was the flag for roughing the passer?

In the end, "penalties" of this variety almost always go uncalled in these circumstances. Every last-second TD attempt has some form of defensive infraction that gets selectively ignored. That said, precedent won't help the Bengals sleep better tonight. Cincy should've received another bite at the apple — another chance to tie or take the lead. Instead, now 4-6 on the season, we are wondering if Cincinnati's path to the postseason has already dried up.

Taylor should still get criticism for his boneheaded decision — just kick the extra-point and none of this matters — but it's hard not to feel like fate, and the refs, conspired against the Bengals in this game.