When it comes to officiating, NFL fans — not to mention players and coaches — tend to remember the misses or mistakes, real or perceived, more than calls that were right, particularly in late-season games. Mike Pereira, who once was in charge of the folks in stripes making those split-second decisions, has a vivid memory of one particular correct ruling that helped determine the outcome of a Super Bowl. It came on Feb. 1, 2009, when Ben Roethlisberger connected with a leaping Santonio Holmes on a 6-yard touchdown pass in a back corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers edge Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals 27-23.
When it comes to officiating, NFL fans not to mention players and coaches tend to remember the misses or mistakes, real or perceived, more than calls that were right, particularly in late-season games. Mike Pereira, who once was in charge of the folks in stripes making those split-second decisions, has a vivid memory of one particular correct ruling that helped determine the outcome of a Super Bowl.
Some folks who could get plenty of TV time during Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are household names, of course, from Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Christian McCaffrey on the field to a certain pop star Taylor Swift expected to cheer from a suite.