Sunday night’s game between the 8-1 Bengals and 7-2 Cardinals finished off in dramatic fashion. After a very low scoring first half, both teams ran the length of the field multiple times in the final two quarters, putting up 44 points in the second half after just 21 in the first two quarters.
After an Andy Dalton touchdown with less than four minutes left brought the Bengals within three, they were able to quickly get the ball back and tie the game on a 43 yard Mike Nugent field goal. With less than a minute left, however, Carson Palmer and the Cardinals were able to storm down the field on three plays, all completions of at least 18 yards, two to Larry Fitzgerald.
After spiking the ball with 20 seconds left, Bruce Arians decided to stand pat for the 47 yard attempt and Palmer kneeled to wind the clock down so Cincinnati wouldn’t have a chance after the attempt. When preparing to spike the ball before the kick, however, Domata Peko of the Bengals was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving the Cardinals half the distance to the goal and essentially sealing Arizona’s 8th win.
The penalty was called a “phantom call” by Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and after the game, Peko adamantly argued that he was actually saying “get set” and not imitating the quarterback’s hike call in an effort to get the Cardinals to go off-sides.
On the other side of the field, Carson Palmer claimed that Peko “obviously said the snap count” and Fitzgerald claimed that it had been going on throughout the game.
“When I was down in the bunch, they were very load and demonstrative with their shifts. [When] the line shifts like that, it sounded like a cadence. I’m just glad they finally caught it later in the game.”
Of course, in the end it might not have mattered. Chandler Catanzaro has only missed two field goals and two extra points all year out of 60 total attempts, with those two misses coming at distances of 47 yards (in Pittsburgh) and 55 yards at University of Phoenix Stadium. Catanzaro has made his other four attempts of field goals longer than 40 yards this year and even with the roof open, the Cardinals likely would have won without the penalty.
As it was, moving half the distance to the goal changed the 47 yard attempt into a 32 yard chip shot. While Peko claimed he had never seen that particular penalty called before, the “disconcerting signals” rule has been on the books for years is rarely used – unless a defensive player’s action is particularly obvious.
