Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals miffed by late penalty for simulating snap count

Published Nov. 23, 2015 1:43 a.m. ET

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Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko denied that he barked out the snap count in the closing seconds during  Sunday's 34-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

With the score tied at 31-31, the clock ticked down to six seconds remaining when Cardinals right guard Ted Larsen jumped out of his stance, leading flags to fly. For a second, the Bengals thought they were headed to overtime since a false start penalty would've resulted in a 10-second runoff. Instead, the umpire, who was positioned just a few yards behind Peko, emphatically ran to the referee, indicating that Peko was simulating the snap count.

The flag for unsportsmanlike conduct turned a 46-yard field goal attempt into a 32-yard chip shot for Chandler Catanzaro, and it was game over. After the game, Peko was baffled by the call. 

“They were lining up quick and they jumped,” Peko said via Bengals.com. “I’m a big communicator on the defensive line. I was just saying, ‘Get set, get set.’ They were on the ball quick and I guess they thought I said, ‘Hike,’ but I didn’t. It shouldn’t have come down to that play.”

Head coach Marvin Lewis called the penalty a "phantom call," saying he believed Peko's account of what happened.

“I trust what our player did and said," Lewis said of Peko. "He’s alerting a run and not anything to do with what they’re saying. I don’t see how they make that call at that point in the game like that. I trust our guy to be honest with me.”

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