WATCH: Tee Higgins scores controversial touchdown on Jalen Ramsey
It’s been a rough night thus far for LA Rams defensive back Jalen Ramsey. At the beginning of the second half, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow connected with Tee Higgins on a 75-yard touchdown strike. The touchdown catch, was not without controversy. Higgins clearly grabbed Ramsey’s facemask before the ball arrived and slung him to the ground, leaving him wide open.
Here’s a closer look at the facemask.
Here’s a tweet from one of the NFL’s top officiating experts, Mike Pereira and what he had to say about it. He’s the current rules analyst at FOX Sports.
The missed facemask cost the Rams and cost them dearly. The 75-yard touchdown catch by Higgins put the Bengals up 20-13. It’s one of the biggest missed calls of the year and in the biggest game of the year — the Super Bowl. Jalen Ramsey has gotten burned a number of times in this game tonight and it hasn’t been pretty for the former Florida State star. But it was tough for him to defend the catch by Higgins when he was getting thrown to the ground by his facemask. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Jalen Ramsey has been the nearest defender on three completions thrown 30-plus yards downfield this postseason (75-yard catch touchdown catch by Tee Higgins, 46-yard catch by Ja’Marr Chase, and a 55-yard touchdown catch by Mike Evans).
After Higgins scored the touchdown catch, he did the griddy, the popular end zone dance that former LSU star Justin Jefferson has made so popular in the league. Thus far in the game, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 221 passing yards, while tossing one touchdown.
The game is being nationally televised on NBC. The Bengals currently lead the Rams 20-16 with 2:47 remaining in the fourth quarter.