“What a screwed-up night of plays and officiating this was. Wow.”
That's how ESPN's Mike Tirico ended his broadcast with Jon Gruden of the New England Patriots' 20-13 win over the Buffalo Bills, and it's tough to argue that in a season of execrable officiating, Gene Steratore's crew put on a performance ill-suited for even a Division III battle. From the inadvertent whistle that probably cost the Patriots a touchdown to the blown catch ruling (later overturned) and blown call that ended the game when Bills receiver Sammy Watkins went out of bounds untouched with two seconds left in the game, Steratore's group was awful in a way that will probably get them rewarded with playoff berths.