I've never seen a perfectly officiated game and never will.
Most calls are of the judgment variety. A little holding is OK, too much holding isn't. Some hand fighting and shoving as WRs run their routes is OK, provided both parties are doing it and it isn't too much. Hitting the QB is OK, as long as it's not too hard. Popping a WR running through a zone in the middle of the field is OK, as long as it's not too violent. How do you define a catch? What's a "football move"?
So where is the line for "too much" or "too hard"? It's judgment by the officials. Holding isn't just "grabbing". When it comes to the foul by the LB on Kupp, holding is also defined as substantially impeding progress.
Look. Cincy was the latest flavor for the football media with Joe Burrow as the latest Golden Boy. Just as a narrative was created that they would win, so does there have be an alternative narrative because they lost. And the narrative boils down to the holding call.... with the non-call against Tee Higgins mentioned but sort of pushed to the background.
