Lights went out mid-play during Bengals-Falcons game

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lights went out mid-play during Bengals-Falcons game

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Nov 8, 2026 1:39 PM ET

Sunday’s international game once again provided a moment the NFL was not exactly expecting or hoping for.

The lights went out on the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain. The outage only lasted one play, but it was long enough to leave both players and the viewing audience confused.

The incident happened just after the two-minute warning during a run by Bengals back Samaji Perine. Play did continue, though the down was eventually replayed.

I thought my TV was messing up, but no, the lights went out in the Madrid Stadium in the #Bengals vs #Falcons game. #NFL https://t.co/Zg0udLc7AV
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) November 8, 2026

Unlike the most famous instance of this sort of thing, this seemed to be someone hitting the wrong button, as the lights came back on immediately. It also didn’t matter that much with the game effectively decided.

This year’s international games have occasionally been faced with some very unusual problems. The league only has two more scheduled for this season, but has shown no indication of cutting down on the number in the future.

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