Jeff Triplette is the Referee For Chargers-Bengals, How Did He Get a Playoff Game?

Jeff Triplette was one of the worst referees in the NFL this year, and found himself embroiled in controversy three times in December. First, his crew botched a call late in a close Redskins/Giants game; then he badly blew this call in a Cincinnati Bengals game; in the Seahawks/Rams season finale, his crew lost control of the game very early.

And who can forget him angrily screaming at Clay Matthews in 2012? And the flag he accidentally threw into the facemask of Orlando Brown, temporarily blinding him?

Well, here’s some news that might make Marvin Lewis and Mike McCoy cringe: Triplette and his crew will referee the San Diego-Cincinnati Wild Card game Sunday, the NFL announced.

Gulp.

The Chargers are 7.5 point underdogs, but it should be noted San Diego only lost twice by more than a touchdown (28-20 at home against Denver; 27-17 in Oakland in early October) this season. And if anyone tells you that the weather will be a factor because the Chargers play in the warm weather and it’ll be in the 30’s with rain or snow … the Chargers won in Kansas City and Denver in colder temperatures recently.