The week 16 game was not Mut 23 coins the most impressive of weekends for Madden NFL 23 officiating. There were the standard unsafe helmet-to helmet calls (Panthers cornerback Josh Norman's hammer at Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins on the first play of the second quarter of their contest). There were questionable in bounds/out from bounds call calls (Vikings tight end Rhett Ellison's touchdown, but not touchdown, right before halftime ought to have been an end-of-game touchdown).
The game was a bit rough and shaky. calls regarding tackles on the line (seriously, Vikings linebacker Gerald Hodges made contact Dolphins rookie receiver Jarvis Landry decidedly in bounds but was penalized for throwing Landry to the ground). There was also a quarterback mishap that was judged to be insufficient without review (Big Ben's head was empty to the Chiefs).
There was however one decision that was so indecent that I'm sure the official who made it should not be allowed to play in any playoff game. The offending call is the ridiculous taunting penalty against Steelers cornerback William Gay after a particularly impressive, but unspectacular play by Steelers middle linebacker Lawrence Timmons on third down.
Imagine this, the Steelers found themselves up 17-6 in the must-win game at 12:39 during the 4th quarter. The opponent, the Chiefs faced a third-and-17 situation from their 23-yard line. The Steelers obviously did not play well off receivers, defending everything deep and forced Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to dump the ball to tight end Travis Kelce.
Timmons was across the formation during coverage, however, he was able to get his hands on the ball and make a one-on-one tackle in the field in the open for an average of two yards. It could have appeared to be the typical play given that it was not likely that Kelce could gain enough yards to gain the first down. If you truly look at the game, you'll need to see how fast Timmons was and be able to madden 23 coins cheap gather himself and create a secure tackle. It's not like routine or simple.
