Nick Canepa: Officials take away Chargers’ chance at comeback vs. Texans

Sez Me …

NFL officials, also known as zebras, also known as a lot of things not for print, are criticized. A lot. Constantly. Relentlessly. Until their stripes are stripped.

But not enough. Not nearly enough.

I realize I could say this about every sport, especially baseball. But there are 162 baseball games. There are 17 NFL affairs. College football? Minor league refs make minor league calls. They stink, but what do you expect?

It would be easy to say: “Well, there goes Nick again, beating a dead horse.” But the horse is not dead. It is alive. Kicking. It cannot be killed. It is Secretariat, AI. Screwing up games.

OK, we know bad officiating — not to mention replay flubs — is rampant, but let’s just focus on last weekend’s NFL Team That Used To Be Here’s (you know, the Judases/L.A. Lodgers) game with the Texans.

Not that the Judases deserved to win the game — it’s incredible they can find victory anywhere — but they should be given a chance. And the officials took that away.

With 2:32 remaining in regulation, the Texans, up 20-16 — thanks to a missed chip-shot field goal and extra point by incredibly reliable Cameron Dicker The Kicker — faced third-and-9 from their own 46. Houston QB C.J. Stroud went back to pass and lost 10 yards. But wait.

Tarheeb Still was found guilty of illegal contact far down the field. It was a horrible call. If anything, receiver Christian Kirk pushed off. Anyway, game over.

YOU DO NOT THROW A FLAG THERE.

Even the announcers were aghast.

In any event, although the Texans were going to punt, it’s doubtful the J’s would have been able to score a touchdown to win. But that should have been at Dicker’s feet, not the officials’ ineptitude.

Craig Wrolstad’s officiating crew had made just six illegal contact calls all year. They made two in that game. They have no idea how to call pass interference. They assume, which is the one thing they cannot do.

They are above the law. The NFL simply shrugs.

We do not go to games or watch them to see zebras decide the outcomes.

The best officials are invisible. Unfortunately, you don’t need special glasses to see them. …

Justin Herbert should not even go to Denver. The erstwhile quarterback for the Judases should just stay home with Madison Beer, his erstwhile girlfriend, maybe take in a movie. Jim Harbaugh made a very wise decision, because, guaranteed, Justin plays if not shut down. …

Ladd McConkey is either a forgotten man or in a sophomore slump. He ran 42 routes vs. Houston and was targeted twice. I’m saying a slump. …

Steelers back Kenneth Gainwell, who is a fine two-way guy, had 10 touches in their loss to the Browns. Bad, unaware coaching. …

John Harbaugh did the same thing the week before with Derrick Henry vs. New England, sitting him the final 12 minutes (and admitting his mistake). Then Henry vs. Green Bay: 36 carries, 216 yards, 4 TDs. And a win. …

Brian Flores is the best head football coach who’s not a head football coach. In the world. …

It’s December. It’s January. You run the ball. …

With a broken right arm and two broken legs, Josh Allen doesn’t make a throw as awful as he did at the end of the Philly game. Something was wrong with him. …

The team you’re playing has 16 total second-half yards and you go for two? The Bills were at home and had been playing good defense. Trust your guys. …

Tom Brady talking about “physical, violent” football. Then again, “violence.” Can he be fined for that? …

The Raiders have not scored 30 points in 36 games. Is that all? …

Know who had more NFL rushing yards than Bo Jackson? Jim Harbaugh. …

The Colts will start Riley Leonard over Philip Rivers. Leonard should get his reps. Philip tried valiantly. …

Only 1.6% of college players make it to the NFL. All of them think it’s 100%. The president says 600%. …

Jalen Hurts threw for minus-2 total yards in the second half during the Eagles’ win in rainy Buffalo. Another tribute to Smokey Gaines. Minus-2 less than a dead man. …

The Donner Party had better weeks than the Diggs family. …

The Patriots’ police blotter roster is impressive. But Mike Vrabel says he’s “not disappointed at all” about the allegations against Stefon Diggs and Christian Barmore. Football coaches. Where do they come from? …

Don’t sleep on the Rams. Davante Adams makes touchdowns. …

If not for the transfer portal, Indiana fans would be thinking basketball by October. But it exists. The Hoosiers have been the best team. They are also the oldest. …

The four head coaches remaining in the college playoffs all were picked off Nick Saban’s Alabama coaching tree. I don’t believe in coincidences. …

I saw Curt Cignetti smile. Honestly. But Mona Lisa he is not. No practice. …

The Lakers are “recalibrating.” I don’t know what that means, but that kind of word involving an NBA team cannot be good. I’m guessing it’s LeBron’s fault. …

All you need to know about the dumbing down of America and television: “Survivor” remains on the air. It has survived. It is crap. …

What’s with TV directors and football? After some plays, they continuously show close-ups of players in the huddle, coaches on the sideline and fans holding signs. Show the damn replay! …

There are 30 football players on the All-CIF first team. I love high school football. But the game is played with 11 on each side of the ball. Somebody is always better than someone else. Not a disgrace. …

The win-loss percentage of teams played by the Patriots this season was .386. Lowest since the first man to crawl out of the swamp hosed himself off. …

I hate it when I turn on a football game, and it’s raining. Maybe I feel as though I’m being cheated. …

If an owner spends games on the sideline, he/she is one of two things: 1, a great owner who cares about (his/her) team; 2, a meddling owner who needs to be seen. …

I don’t know why you go to a bowl game if you’re going to give up 49 points to North Texas. Was Mean Joe Greene playing QB? …

The portal is great for college football. Iowa State has 16 players remaining on its roster. One starter. …

Elon Musk’s estimated worth: $700 billion. So he can buy every American pro sports team and still have around $200 billion left over. So what’s he waiting for? …

Troy Aikman said Bijan Robinson reminds him of Barry Sanders. Troy is unique. Nobody reminds anybody of Barry Sanders. …

Troy has also been hired to aid in the Dolphins’ GM search. His final choice? “Me.” …

Lane Kiffin, who left a landfill mess in Oxford, gets half a mil for the Ole Miss win over Georgia. From LSU. Wonderful world. …

Do I need a passport to go to Greenland? …

Gen. George S. Patton: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” No wonder I’m tired all the time. …

It’s been raining cows and coyotes. Can’t wait for water rates to rise like the tides.