The St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins are the only ones with points, so far, in their Week 2 matchup--the score is Redskins 14, Rams six--but the game is being dominated, if Twitter and Turf Show Times are any indication, by the struggles of the replacement refs. The Rams have scored twice on apparent touchdowns that the referees don't catch; each time the Rams have been pushed back by penalties after questioning, a little less than politely, the refs' authority, and forced to give Greg Zuerlein the ball for another thirty-something-yard field goal.
Bernie Miklasz sums it up nicely:
The fake refs have lost control of this game. NFL should be embarrassed. Fans are paying good money to watch this.
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) September 16, 2012
It's clear, by now, that the replacement referees simply aren't able to get out of their own way in the NFL's regular season. The end result hasn't just been an inaccurate score that could cost the Rams their first win of the season--it's a game that's getting increasingly physical, violent, and out of control, in a way that the NFL can hardly afford after an offseason filled with bounties and concussions.