It was maybe the worst call in Super Bowl history. When the referees flagged Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson for a phantom hold to give the Rams a new set of downs on Cincinnati’s goal line, they essentially gifted Los Angeles the game. The winning score was handed to Matthew Stafford, who unsurprisingly found Cooper Kupp in the end zone a couple of plays later.
And NBC’s lead NFL analyst was silent.
Cris Collinsworth pleaded the fifth on the league’s bag job, opting to pretend there was no controversy and the Rams scored solely on the strength of Stafford’s right arm. When the replay showed that Wilson seemingly never pulled Kupp’s jersey, Al Michaels asked his partner if he could see the penalty.
“That’s what they called,” Collinsworth said.
Thank you for the insight.
A few moments later, Collinsworth admitted the referees almost made a mistake, but didn’t go all of the way. “Wow, in a game where there have not been many ticky tack fouls, that was close,” he said.
Earlier in the game, Collinsworth comically allowed there was a “little bit of contact” when Bengals wideout Tee Higgins grabbed and twisted Jalen Ramsey’s face mask en route to his 75-yard touchdown.
Collinsworth’s whitewashing of the horrible officiating was the worst broadcasting cover up since he waxed poetic about Roger Goodell’s integrity.
Well, roughly 100 million people can now question Collinsworth’s integrity. His refusal to criticize the referees made it seem as if he was living in an alternate reality.
That might be the only explanation for Collinsworth’s increasingly dire analysis of the Rams receiving corps in the second half. While losing Odell Beckham Jr. was a big blow, the Rams were still running out Kupp — who just put together one of the best seasons in NFL history — and Van Jefferson. Yet, Collinsworth kept talking like Stafford was playing with second stringers.
At the start of the fourth, Collinsworth declared the high-priced QB was “out of weapons.” He only got more cryptic from there.
“So much pressure on Matthew Stafford. They make the huge deal, they bring him in. They give him a chance,” he said. “He takes them to the Super Bowl game, and now he’s kinda have to going to find some creative way to score without the people he’s used to playing with.”
About one minute later, Collinsworth again bemoaned that Stafford was playing without the receivers he was “used to.” Later in the fourth, Collinsworth remarked Kupp was the only person on the field whom the Rams could trust.
Jefferson and his 50 catches last season would probably disagree, but alas.
After two more goal line penalties, Stafford finally connected with Kupp in the end zone to propel the Rams ahead. Collinsworth called the interminable and whistle-infused slog one of the “best drives in Super Bowl history.”
Those are the words of a hype man, not an objective analyst.
NBC pays the NFL $1.7 billion annually to televise games, but that doesn’t mean Collinsworth must aways overlook officiating blunders. He wouldn’t hesitate to criticize a coach or player if they screwed up in the biggest moment.
The same standards should apply to referees, who unlike coaches and players, don’t always face the media after the game.
With NBC’s NFL crew in flux, Collinsworth probably slid into the booth alongside Michaels for the final time Sunday — as the legendary play-by-play man mentioned at the top of the telecast. For a long time, they were the best announcing duo on TV.
Then somewhere along the way, Collinsworth decided to stop acknowledging reality. Going forward, he can slide out of the booth and right into Goodell’s box, where his soft-pedaling is likely most appreciated.