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The Cincinnati Bengals held on for a 26-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday’s AFC playoff game, and they can credit part of that to a controversial touchdown they scored just before the end of the first half.

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw an impressive touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd to help increase the host Bengals’ lead at the time with just under two minutes remaining in the half.

During the play, Burrow scrambled to his right and threw across his body to connect with Boyd in the end zone. After the extra point, Cincinnati was up 20-6. Nevertheless, the play became the source of controversy because it appeared an official on Jerome Boger’s crew blew a whistle shortly after Burrow threw the pass, when he was near or crossing the sideline, thinking he was out of bounds.

It also first appeared that Burrow was out of bounds before he made the throw, but replays showed that was not the case, and referees ruled the play a touchdown, completing a 12-play, 82 yard drive for the Bengals.

The officials didn’t address the whistle that was heard, but it figures to be addressed after the game, especially because the margin of victory was just a touchdown for the Bengals.

After the game, Walt Anderson, the NFL’s senior VP of officiating and a former referee, spoke to a pool reporter about the decision made by Jerome Boger’s crew.

“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,” Anderson said. “They did not feel that the whistle was blown before the receiver caught the ball.”

NBC’s telecast replays indicated the whistle was blown early. Terry McAuley, the network’s officiating analyst, said he believed the play should have been negated and the ball placed back at the Raiders’ 10.

Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia wouldn’t blame Bolger’s crew after the game, saying “a lot of things went both ways” with the officials.

“I have enough problem doing my job, I can’t do the officiating, too,” he said. “I didn’t really talk to them about it at that time and didn’t get an explanation.”

All scoring replays are reviewed. And because the play came in the final two minutes of the half, there couldn’t have been any challenges, anyway.

“The ruling on the field was a touchdown,” Anderson explained. “But we still have to confirm any reviewable aspect of the play. So we did confirm that the pass was thrown before the quarterback stepped out of bounds. We also determined that the pass was caught in the end zone by the receiver, who was not out of bounds.”

— with AP

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