Inadvertent whistle latest MNF controversy: If the Patriots would have lost to the Bills Monday night, an inadvertent whistle during the third quarter would've been pegged as the turning point.
Instead, the Patriots held on to a 20-13 lead to improve to 10-0 on the season. But despite the Patriots winning, the whistle is still making headlines around the NFL because it adds to the list of officiating controversies on Monday Night Football.
The whistle occurred in the third quarter on a play where Tom Brady was scrambling towards the sidelines. Just before stepping out of bounds, Brady floated a pass to an open Danny Amendola, but an inadvertent whistle stopped the play and prevented what could've been a 70-yard touchdown.
Instead, the play was ruled dead and the Patriots were given the ball at the spot where the reception was made.
The Patriots' drive resulted in zero points after Stephen Gostkowski missed a 54-yard field goal attempt.
"Line judge lost track of the football, blew his whistle inadvertently," NFL vice president of officiating, Dean Blandino, told NFL Network after the game, via ESPN. "It was a mistake. Whistle shouldn't have been blown."
On top of the inadvertent whistle, referee Gene Steratore may have made a mistake by placing the ball where the reception took place. According to the NFL's dead ball instructions, if a whistle is blown while the ball is still in the air, then the ball is ruled dead immediately, resulting in a replay of that down.
"In our judgment, we thought the whistle came a little later after the ball was thrown," Steratore said after the game, via ESPN. "So we felt that the receiver had possession at the time of the whistle, so basically we went to that spot, which we determined was about the 45-yard line."
The Patriots were rewarded an additional 15 yards due to an interference penalty on an unidentified Bills coach.
This controversy is the third to occur on Monday Night Football in 2015. A missed illegal bat penalty cost the Lions a potential win over the Seahawks during Week 4, and officials failed to notice an 18-second runoff during a Week 5 match-up between the Steelers and Chargers.
Broncos to sit Peyton vs. Patriots: For NFL fans who were hoping for another Peyton Manning–Tom Brady showdown will be quite disappointed after Gary Kubiak announced that the 39-year-old will sit against his oldest rival.
In Manning's place, Brock Osweiler will make his second start for the Broncos.
Kubiak said that Manning, who has been dealing with a foot injury, is "doing everything he can possibly do to get himself healthy and get himself back on the field," via ESPN.
Osweiler will get set to make just his second-career start. He played well in his first start last Sunday, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 17-15 win over the Bears.
Kubiak made sure to explain that the move to start Osweiler is not a permanent one, and that Manning will resume duties as the team's starting quarterback once he's healthy.
Romo leads Cowboys to win in return: The Cowboys had lost seven-straight games before Sunday's match-up against the Dolphins. They finally broke the streak thanks to Tony Romo, who returned from a collar bone injury suffered Week 2 against the Eagles.
In his return, the 35-year-old completed 18-of-28 passes for 227 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions en route to a 24-14 win in Miami.
At 3-7, believe it or not, the Cowboys are just two games behind the Giants for first place in the NFC East. After a Week 9 overtime loss to the Eagles, many believed that the Cowboys were finished. But with five games still to play, it's not crazy to think that, despite losing seven-straight games, the Romo-led Cowboys could make a late run for the NFC East crown. '
"Winning is going to put a little more pep in everyone's step," Romo said after the game, via ESPN.
The Cowboys welcome in the 10-0 Panthers on Thanksgiving Day.
