Will Miserable Monday Night Football Game Help End Referee Lockout?

Miserable. Terrible. An absolute joke.

That's how most NFL fans feel about Monday night's game between the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons. And not because of Peyton Manning's three first-quarter interceptions.

The officiating in Week 2's Monday Night Football matchup was the worst it has been since the replacement referees took over at the start of the preseason.

At times, the players looked to be in more control than the officials. They bullied them around during discussions and talked them into throwing flags. 

If you weren't convinced after the hour-long first quarter then surely the three calls overturned on replay and 18 total penalty flags had you, like so many other NFL fans, clamoring for the real officials.

So, the question after suffering through Monday night's game is this: Will the replacement officials reaching a new low help end the NFL's referee lockout?

I like to think that it will, but based on the stubbornness we've seen thus far, it's hard to believe that anything will change.

Clearly the NFL is standing by the replacement referees and supporting them through their ups and many downs. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last week that the league has created a schedule for the new officials through the first five weeks of the season.

That's right, the NFL is prepared to give us games like Monday night's for the next three weeks of the season. It's just a matter of whether the NFL can continue to withstand the criticism from players and fans.

As long as the league is content to save a buck rather than its image, why not extend the lockout?

As far as the players' attempt to end the nonsense and improve the quality of officiating, on September 9, the NFL on Fox tweeted (via Jay Glazer) that the NFL Players Association had sent a letter to the league urging them to bring back the the veteran referees:

"

Our @jayglazer exclusively reports the NFLPA sent a letter to the NFL requestinglocked out officials return immediately (more)….

— FOX SPORTS: NFL (@NFLONFOX) September 9, 2012"

This was the response via NFL on Fox's Jay Glazer on Twitter:

"

More @jayglazer Letter was sent citing player safety.NFL responds saying NFLPA can send their medical officer to meet w/ rep. officials

— FOX SPORTS: NFL (@NFLONFOX) September 9, 2012"

Sure, NFL players and the fans have a voice. But the league has the authority in this case and has decided to trek forward with the replacements. 

It was a negotiating tactic with little impact during the preseason, but now it is starting to interfere with the on-field product. Call it arrogance or what you will, the NFL knows that millions will tune in every weekend in the fall and on Monday night.

Until the lack of control and phantom pass interference calls cause us to change the channel, one can only believe that the NFL has no intention of ending the referee lockout anytime soon. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter for more NFL take, reaction and analysis.