Last week’s thriller between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions went down to the wire. A game-deciding call by the officials flipped the script on the Lions, who fell by two points to the Cowboys. And while the call was arguably correct, fans and otherwise skewered the officiating crew. So, fittingly, that crew will work yet another crucial game.
NFL official Brad Allen and his crew were assigned to work the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC-leading Ravens, armed with MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, take on the surging Steelers in an imperative AFC North showdown. It’s a must-win for the Steelers, who are desperate to make the NFL Playoffs.
Pro Football Talk reported the news on Tuesday.
“Brad Allen’s crew will be back in the national spotlight on Saturday when they work the Steelers-Ravens game,” PFT posted. They posted the news on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
Brad Allen's crew will be back in the national spotlight on Saturday, when they work the Steelers-Ravens game. https://t.co/G1fLzVf9rJ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 2, 2024
There’ll be a lot on the line when these two teams take the field. Lamar Jackson’s MVP candidacy will be among the things at stake. Jackson has played at an astonishingly incredible clip the past few weeks. He tormented the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins in consecutive weeks. Jackson appears to be ready to lead the Ravens in the postseason as he’s already helped them get the top seed in the conference. So the conference will run through Baltimore as long as they handle their business.
But the game this weekend will have a new storyline, and the officials will likely be under even more pressure.
