The week 16 is here. And the matchup between the Chargers and Broncos ended in Los Angeles’ favor. After losing the game 27-34, the team is disappointed. But the fans are blaming someone else for the defeat. Many fans of the Broncos are alleging that the referees, particularly Clay Martin, did not make the right decisions in the game, which made the situation against them.

During a drive, the Chargers’ CB Tarheeb Still made a pass interference (PI) on the Broncos WR Marvin Mims. But the refs did not call it out, and it got recorded as a punt. There were several such instances as well, and the fans got crazy.

During the same drive, the referee missed a huge facemask penalty on Justin Herbert. If it was called, their drive would have stopped there. At the 3:14 mark in the 3rd quarter, Clay Martin dropped a late hit flag on the linebacker Justin Strnad after Herbert slid. But the QB had already made the slide, and the LB could not have stopped. It helped them continue the drive as they scored a touchdown at the 2:58 mark.

Overall, the impact was enormous. The Broncos suffered 7 penalties for 61 yards while the Chargers only lost 8 yards in 2 penalties. It also had a mental effect on the players, as they were being watchful in their attempts. However, the fans didn’t like it.

Broncos fans troll Clay Martin after the Chargers’ loss

They were angry over the loss. And the reactions on social media showed they were unhappy. One fan showed his anger on X and said, “NFL clearly couldn’t risk pretty boy Justin Herbert missing the playoffs again. Clay Martin should never officiate in this league again.” Another fan brought out history against Martin, claiming bias, and wrote, “I mean, I get not calling penalties against the Chiefs, nobody does, but this game confirming NFL officiating is very anti-Bronco; Broncos now 1-6 in games officiated by Clay Martin.”

Another fan accepted that the Broncos were not the best team, but he used pretty strong words for Clay Martin in his comment, “Broncos defense didn’t play well. Offense gave up. But the refs were 100% one sided all night. Gifted the chargers at every turn. @NFLOfficiating is a joke. Clay Martin is a joke. Chargers holding all game. But broncos are the only ones called. This is a joke!”

The referee was the target of many fans. One angry fan wrote, “Clay Martin is the worst ref in the NFL,” while another fan gave him an unwanted award, “Clay Martin wins the award for the most incompetent official of the week. Completely one sided, biased officiating. Made it all about him and his crew.” That’s pretty crazy.

Everything depends on the NFL now. They might review the referees to avoid such situations. You can reflect on this with your comments.