The NFL has finally taken action against bad officiating performances by pulling Pete Morelli and his crew from Week 13's Monday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins.
Morelli and his team of officials handled the Arizona Cardinals/San Francisco 49ers game in Week 12 and they made some pretty terrible calls down the stretch that would eventually lead to the Cardinals ending up in the end zone for the game winning score. The most controversial call in the game was likely to be the roughing the passer penalty in the fourth quarter of a tie game.
49ers defensive lineman Quinton Dial came in on 2nd and long sacked Carson Palmer. The Cardinals were in their own territory and the roughing the passer penalty (an automatic 15 yards) pushed the Cardinals up to mid field and kept their drive alive. Palmer was hit but the flag came in after Palmer's appeared to be pushed up against his nose but that was Palmer's helmet simply reacting to the force of Dial's hit, it was not illegal.
This penalty kept the Cardinals drive alive and allowed them to score effectively ending what was an inspiring effort from a 49ers team that has had an incredibly rough year. Referees need to be examined when their actions directly impact the outcome of games.