Top 5 Worst Referee Calls in Super Bowl History

With more eyes on the Super Bowl than any other game each year, the NFL officiating also gets increased scrutiny for bad calls and missed calls alike, especially from bettors at the top NFL sportsbooks trying to avoid a bad beat. The good news is most of the egregious referee calls in NFL history have come in earlier rounds of the playoffs instead of the Super Bowl. That means some teams have reached the Big Game on the back of some favorable officiating, but the 57 Super Bowls themselves have not been that bad at producing all-time awful referee decisions. But the closeness of the game plays a big part too. Fans don’t care too much about a missed holding call or a phantom face mask when the score is 31-10 in the 3rd quarter. Super Bowls used to be largely blowouts for decades. It was only in 1998 when the AFC ended its 13-year Super Bowl win drought (Denver defeated Green Bay), that the Super Bowl started producing a close finish on a consistent basis.

Jan 25, 1998: The @packers lost Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego. The Denver Broncos beat Green Bay 31-24. Terrell Davis scored the winning touchdown with 1:48 left in the game. It’s the first Super Bowl loss for the Packers. They won the first two and XXXI in 1997. pic.twitter.com/GX3Dy4KzhH

— Jack Eich (@jackeichsays) January 25, 2023

That is why when we think of the 5 worst referee calls in Super Bowl history, we focus on the last 25 years and the era of replay and better camera angles capturing everything. An honorable mention for a bad referee call was Super Bowl 12 when Butch Johnson of the Cowboys was ruled to have caught a 45-yard touchdown against the Broncos, pushing the lead to 20-3 in the 3rd quarter and all but ending the game. That was a 3rd-down play too, and it looked like Johnson dropped it immediately on the ground to where legendary commentator Pat Summerall even says “and he dropped it” on the call. But the touchdown stood (no replay yet), and the Cowboys won 27-10.

Butch Johnson made the same catch Antonio Brown just did in Super Bowl 12, and it counted back then. #ruleschanges

— Brian Brinkley (@BrianBrinkleyOK) December 5, 2017

Granted, we have been traumatized by what a catch looks like in the NFL, but that looked really bad even for that era. But when we still don’t know what a catch is in 2024, we’re not going to pretend anyone knew what a catch was in 1978 either, so that is why it did not make our list. Here are the top 5 worst referee calls in Super Bowl history that made our list.

5. Super Bowl 57 (2022) – Defensive Holding on James Bradberry (Eagles vs. Chiefs)

This was just last season, and the call denied what was becoming a fantastic Super Bowl from having an incredible finish. The Chiefs trailed earlier in the 4th quarter before coming back to take a 35-27 lead on the Eagles, who then answered with a game-tying touchdown drive to make it 35-35 with 5:15 left. Patrick Mahomes took over from there and led the Chiefs on another drive, keyed by his 26-yard scramble despite his high-ankle sprain. That put the Chiefs in the red zone, and you knew they were going to take the lead, but how much time would the Eagles have left to answer? On a big 3rd-and-8, Mahomes threw an incomplete pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster that fell harmlessly out of bounds in the end zone. It looked like the Eagles were going to get the ball back, down 38-35, with a timeout and almost a full 2 minutes left. Would Jalen Hurts run for a go-ahead touchdown, would we get overtime for only the 2nd time ever in Super Bowl history, or would the Chiefs make a stop?

The holding call on Bradberry in the Super Bowl was the worst call in football history https://t.co/kytV0FObro

— Very effective? (@ItsSwayBro) January 25, 2024

But it was none of that. Philadelphia corner James Bradberry was called for a defensive holding penalty and the Chiefs received an automatic 1st down. They were able to run the clock down to 11 seconds, kick a 27-yard field goal, then they just had to stop the Eagles from going 64 yards in 6 seconds. Piece of cake. The Chiefs won 38-35. That call totally ruined the end of this game, making it almost a sure thing the Chiefs would kick a short field goal with almost no time left, which they did. Did Bradberry technically grab JuJu early in the route? Yes. Did it affect the route or the play? Not really. It happened so fast and he let him go, JuJu ran the route, and the call bailed out a bad throw by Mahomes that had no shot of ever being complete. It is hard to stomach watching these automatic 1st down penalties for a little tug that has nothing to do with the play. Watching quarterbacks get bailed out for bad throws like that is rough. It is even worse when it’s with the Super Bowl on the line. So, we were robbed of a great finish. The Eagles scored the most points (35) by a Super Bowl loser in NFL history in that game, but we were hoping to see another real drive there.

Chiefs’ fans dismissing this one but celebrated when James Bradberry got called for the same thing in the Super Bowl is very on brand. https://t.co/4UojqbhmKD

— ⚜️ ØPTIMUS  GALACTUS 💫 (@KiDxTWEETx) January 29, 2024

4. Super Bowl 53 (2018) – No Defensive Pass Interference on Stephon Gilmore (Rams vs. Patriots)

Adding to the frustration of our No. 5 play is the inconsistency of these types of calls. A few years earlier in Super Bowl 53 between the Rams and Patriots, there was a big missed call on New England when the Patriots were leading 10-3 with 4:29 left and the Rams were driving. Jared Goff threw a deep pass for Brandin Cooks, and New England corner Stephon Gilmore was there to break it up to bring up 2nd-and-10. But on the play, Gilmore made early contact with Cooks and should have been called for defensive pass interference. There was no flag. On the very next snap, Goff went deep for Cooks again and Gilmore was there for the interception, clinching his role of hero and helping the Patriots go on to win the game 13-3.

Flashback to Super Bowl LIII: Stephon Gilmore makes the game sealing interception and the Patriots capture their SIXTH Super Bowl Ring 🏆🔥 pic.twitter.com/f2J5XLFp5o

— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) December 8, 2020

One officiating crew swallowed its whistle on a good throw here with contact, and another officiating crew bailed out a bad throw on a 3rd down for a game-changing penalty to help the Chiefs last year. And people wonder why only certain teams are able to win multiple Super Bowls? Getting these breaks matters a lot. But some felt this one was due justice for how the Rams got into the Super Bowl that year in the 1st place. In the NFC Championship Game in New Orleans, the Rams clearly interfered with the Saints’ receiver on a 3rd-and-10 in the red zone. There was no flag, and the Saints ended up having to kick a field goal instead of running the clock down the way the 2022 Chiefs did in Super Bowl 57. The Rams eventually tied the game and won 26-23 in overtime on what is widely considered the most egregious non-call in playoff history for not having DPI on the Rams. So, things evened out that year. But they don’t always even out.

3. Super Bowl 36 (2001) – No Flag on Mike Vrabel Hitting Kurt Warner in the Face on Ty Law’s Pick-6 (Rams vs. Patriots)

Speaking of things not evening out, the Rams lost 2 Super Bowls to Bill Belichick and the Patriots despite holding a Tom Brady-led offense to just 13 points in both games. None of the other 55 offenses in Super Bowl history that won the game scored fewer than 14 points. But the reason the Patriots still had enough to win in Super Bowl 36, the start of their dynasty, was because of Ty Law’s pick-6 that gave the Patriots a 7-3 lead in the 2nd quarter, and they never trailed again on the way to a 20-17 win. But on the pivotal play, linebacker Mike Vrabel pressured MVP quarterback Kurt Warner and made him release the ball faster than he’d have liked. But while Law picked off the errant throw for a 47-yard touchdown return, Vrabel smacked Warner right in the face to end his pressure, and there was no flag for roughing the passer.

Super Bowl XXXVI

Patriots 20 / Rams 17 Ty Law’s 47-yard INT return for a TD gets the Pats on the board and it is game on pic.twitter.com/sFSb44TrJh — Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) February 12, 2023

That’s a bit rich for a franchise that complained for years about the roughing the passer call that went against Ray “Sugar Bear’ Hamilton of the Patriots in 1976 for a soft hit on Ken Stabler that erased a 4th-and-18 situation and helped the Raiders come back to win the divisional round playoff game, which led to a Super Bowl win for Oakland. The Vrabel play was a sign of things to come on the night as the Patriots were very physical with the finesse offense the Greatest Show on Turf Rams ran that year. They skirted the line with illegal hits throughout the game, and Brady also got away with an intentional grounding on the game-winning drive that ended with Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal, which somehow took 7 seconds to go through the upright as time expired.

20 Years Ago Today Super Bowl XXXVI

Adam Vinatieri hits a 48-yard field goal as time expires to give the #Patriots their first Super Bowl title — the only Super Bowl decided on the final play of regulation. The final play ever called by the iconic Pat Summerall-John Madden duo pic.twitter.com/zWvw5ZpAFw — Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) February 3, 2022

2. Super Bowl 40 (2005) – Take Your Pick (Seahawks vs. Steelers)

Super Bowl 40 between Pittsburgh and Seattle was heavily scrutinized for its officiating ever since the game aired. A big reason for this was the way commentators Al Michaels and John Madden called the game, often bemoaning the calls that seemingly all went against Seattle and in favor of the 6th-seeded Steelers. But Madden seemed to be letting the old Raiders-Steelers rivalry get to him as not all the calls were wrong despite what was said on the broadcast. When Darrell Jackson was denied an early touchdown for an offensive pass interference flag, he clearly pushed off, and the defensive back’s feet moved back to show the advantage gained by Jackson pushing off. There was also not any conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field on Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown run, which was ruled a touchdown on the field.

That might have been a worse OPI call than the one on Darrell Jackson in Super Bowl XL! pic.twitter.com/XVBF0R2Jtf

— Mike (@MarvelousMike94) February 3, 2020

Seattle compounded almost every questionable call with bad plays either before or after (or both):

• After Jackson’s push-off penalty, the Seahawks ran the ball on 1st-and-20 and 2nd-and-19 before kicking a field goal. Extremely conservative.
• Roethlisberger’s touchdown run was preceded by a 37-yard pass to convert a 3rd-and-28, the longest 3rd-down conversion in NFL history.
• Seattle missed a 54-yard field goal to end the half after throwing deep and not trying to get closer.
• Seattle also missed a 50-yard field goal indoors to start the 3rd quarter after the defense just allowed a 75-yard touchdown run to Willie Parker, the longest run in Super Bowl history.

The Steelers led 14-3 at this point, and it could have been 21-3 had Roethlisberger not thrown such a poor ball in the red zone that was intercepted. But on Seattle’s 76-yard return, there certainly is an argument that Roethlisberger was pushed in the back from behind, which would have been a penalty and pushed the Seahawks back. They ended up taking the short field and driving 20 yards for their only touchdown of the game to make it 14-10. The most crucial sequence in the game was early in the 4th quarter. It looked like Hasselbeck had a completion to the 1-yard line with 12:35 left, and the Seahawks were getting ready to take the lead, but the play was wiped out for a holding penalty on right tackle Sean Locklear, who grabbed edge rusher Clark Haggans high. This was a call that Madden vehemently denied wasn’t holding based on the limited angles shown by ABC. But NFL VP of officiating at the time Mike Pereira defended the call as a legitimate holding penalty. Hasselbeck then took a sack, and on 3rd-and-18, he was intercepted by Ike Taylor, who seldom caught interceptions because of his bad hands. On the return, the Seahawks were flagged an additional 15 yards for a low block on Hasselbeck on the tackle.

TWENTY FOUR: Ike Taylor picks off Matt Hasselbeck in Super Bowl XL. #24 spent 12 seasons in the Steel City after being drafted in the 4th Round of the 2003 Draft out of Louisiana Lafayette. He was a key member of the Steelers shutdown defense in the 2000s. pic.twitter.com/Jv7iXphJMk

— COMON Network (@ComonNetwork) August 21, 2020

Those 15 yards were enforced at the end of the run, and that penalty is one that is universally agreed on as being a bad call. It was not a low block by Hasselbeck. But without that call, the Steelers would have still gained possession of the ball for the pick. Four plays later, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward on a trick play Pittsburgh used earlier that season against Cleveland, and the Steelers won 21-10 with the rest of the game being uncontroversial. But there were a lot of debated calls that night. The better team still won in the end thanks to so many record-setting plays (longest 3rd down, longest run, and longest pass by a non-quarterback in a Super Bowl) in what was still a rough Super Bowl to watch to this day.

1. Super Bowl 47 (2012) – No Flag on Jimmy Smith Grabbing Michael Crabtree on 4th Down (Ravens vs. 49ers)

To be the main character, or to swallow thy whistle? That was the choice the referees had to make late in Super Bowl 47 between the Ravens and 49ers. It was not the greatest game early on with the Ravens taking a 28-6 lead, but the lights went out, the 49ers cooked up a rally, and soon it was a 34-29 game with the 49ers just 5 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown with 1:50 left. The call was a fade to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, which is a terrible call since the fade is usually always a terrible call to any receiver. But that’s what the 49ers went with, and Colin Kaepernick did not throw a poor pass. He gave Crabtree a shot, but Baltimore corner Jimmy Smith made contact going into the end zone, and he did not let up after the 5-yard cushion too.

This is what happened in the Super Bowl with Jimmy Smith and Crabtree https://t.co/lhkjOc3xCB pic.twitter.com/YpbuuBqNV7

— Eid (@EChaosT) November 17, 2019

No flag was thrown, the ball landed out of bounds, and all Crabtree could do was throw up his arms and wonder what happened right along with Kaepernick and head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Ravens ended up burning most of the clock and took an intentional safety with 4 seconds left to produce the 34-31 win. With the championship on the line, the referees wanted no part of being part of the story of this one. That seems to be the preferred move in these situations since we had more non-calls than real flags make our top 5 list. I would say making pass interference reviewable might help, but the NFL already tried that in 2019 after the Rams debacle, and that lasted one year with officials showing they don’t want their judgment calls judged. Instead, we’ll continue judging them years after the fact for lists like this. Let’s just hope the next Super Bowl does not produce something that belongs here next time.