The term 'they're not really to blame' can be summarized by the crossword solution 'scapegoats, ' which refers to a person or group of people who are blamed for something they did not do. Scapegoating is a common practice in which someone is unfairly blamed for a problem, often to divert attention away from the real cause. This term is often used to describe situations in which a group of people are blamed for something that was not their fault.