The Rams didn’t lose to the Bengals on Monday night because of the officials. They beat themselves, going 1-for-11 on third down, 1-for-4 in the red zone and committing two turnovers. The Bengals didn’t play well, either. But the Rams made far too many mistakes to overcome in this game, which they lost, 19-16.
That being said, there were two turning points in Monday night’s contest that certainly didn’t go the Rams’ way, and those plays were at the mercy of the officials.
The first was on Los Angeles’ opening drive when Tutu Atwell took the toss on an end-around and appeared to turn it into a 24-yard touchdown. It was originally ruled a touchdown, but after further review, the officials decided there was enough evidence to overturn it and rule that Atwell stepped out of bounds.
The second was on Logan Wilson’s interception in the second quarter. The Rams were up 6-3 at the time and had a chance to build on their lead, but on the first play of the drive, Matthew Stafford threw a pick over the middle. It was ruled an interception, but it looked like Wilson failed to maintain complete control of the ball. It appeared to move as he went to the ground, but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it.
We’ll take a look at both plays below, beginning with Atwell’s run.