Why officials didn’t let Bengals snap ball on goal-line play, leading to delay of game vs. Ravens

CINCINNATI — The Bengals had an odd thing happen to them during the second half of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. 

A yard away from the Ravens’ end zone, the Bengals were penalized for delay of game, moving them back five yards and forcing them into a longer third-down attempt. The issue, though, was that the Bengals couldn’t snap the ball as the play clock was winding down. 

The reason why they couldn’t snap the ball was because an official was standing behind the center. Because of that, the Bengals had no choice but to endure a penalty that could have been costly. 

It appeared that the official was allowing the Ravens’ defenders to come off the field prior to the Bengals running off another play. That means that the Bengals must have subbed too late as Baltimore was entitled to make subs. So, while the officials initially appeared to make a mistake, the mistake was in fact on the Bengals for not subbing fast enough. 

Zac Taylor, the Bengals head coach, tried to call a time out but to no avail. 

Fortunately for the Bengals, the penalty didn’t throw a wrench in the drive as Cincinnati scored on the very next play when Joe Burrow hit Tee Higgins in the end zone. But had Cincinnati been forced to settle for three, the penalty could have loomed large, especially if the Bengals lost the game.