The story of the weekend should have been Torrey Smith.

The Baltimore wide receiver played less than 24 hours after losing his little brother Tevin. In a performance -- so amazing that calling it “inspired” would fail to describe it -- on par with Brett Favre’s masterpiece against Oakland after his father died, Smith caught six balls for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a gritty 31-30 Ravens victory over the New England Patriots.

But no. To some extent, even that game was sullied by the replacement referees, who have been shelled with criticism for erroneous calls left and right. Their only protection is the bunker of silence during a prolonged labor dispute between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA).

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners elected to ride or die with the under-qualified officials, waiting out the ref union until they budge, similar to what occurred in the lockout with the players in 2011.

People won’t even begin to consider NOT watching the NFL until the end of a game was directly and drastically altered by the refs. Well, that moment came Monday night on the concluding play of the Packers/Seahawks affair.

ALSO SEE: What Is The NFL Rule About Simultaneous Catch? and Packers-Seahawks: NFL Finally Got What It Had Coming

There’s no need to rehash that game; football fans already know and are incensed. A game fell into the hands of incompetent judges, and there may as well be no double jeopardy in football. What’s done is done.

The Denver Post’s Mike Klis makes a critical point: Each game has already been affected by the refs, even the apparently better-called affairs.

 

The notion this is first time replacement affected outcome of game is bull. They've affected EVERY game.

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) September 25, 2012

Non calls affect games. Holding-P.I. calls affect games. UNqualified refs are making calls that affect EVERY game.

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) September 25, 2012

 

“Touchception,” as social media declared it, was the tipping point of Reffageddon 2012.

America’s pastime is in danger.

Each match’s legitimacy is doubted. Each passing game without the best refs damages the integrity of The Shield, believed to be the most hallowed and pristine of professional sports.

The NFL was pro sports done right. It’s the biggest league in the country. All the teams make money. Fan interest rises every year. May as well send them a printing press because Goodell’s business basically prints its own money.

One thing it prided itself in manufacturing was the irreplaceable drama each Sunday. And, no, HBO can’t touch it. Hell, last Sunday’s slate of games turned out to be one of the most exciting in a while.

But the excitement and nerves fans associate with each game stem from the sport’s unpredictability: Any team can beat another. It is settled between the 22 men on the field in brutish displays of athleticism.

When the thrill of cheering and sweet ignorance is gone, the compelling nature of all sport disappears.

Even the NFL.

Football is the cap to many Americans’ weekends, the last vestige of glory and leisure before the mundane work cycles restarts.

ALSO SEE: Seahawks-Packers Monday Night Contest Marred By Drama, Controversy and Monday Night Football 'Touch-ception' Not Enough For NFL To Budge.

People flock to the NFL for its non-scripted action, but most importantly, the fairness of the game. That’s what sticks with people. Refs are supposed to regulate the play, not invoke irrevocable harm, which is exactly what has happened.

And while it seems ludicrous to believe the league is in trouble, fans’ discomfort with the faux referees grows each day.

But will large masses really tune out should no deal get finished before the first game of Week 4 on Thursday? Eh. Seems hard to believe, especially with how much people invest in the NFL.

But a much larger issue is at stake for Goodell and the owners: the league’s credibility. Without that, the NFL will be negatively likened to professional wrestling.

Until the locked-out officials come back, this will remain an issue.

Until the recognized, real referees return, amazing, humanizing stories will struggle to break through.

Until the league gives in, the narrative will shift away from the young warriors in pads and revolve around the middle-aged zebras.

Reach Senior Sports Editor Will Robinson here. Follow him here.