For the second straight day, the NFL world is furious over a roughing the passer penalty.
After a questionable call helped Tom Brady and the Buccaneers secure a win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the officials struck again.
Kansas City Chiefs lineman Chris Jones forced and recovered a Derek Carr fumble on a strip sack during the second quarter. He landed on Carr while retrieving the football but didn’t hit the quarterback high.
The officials nevertheless negated a takeaway by flagging Jones for roughing. The Las Vegas Raiders capitalized on the new set of downs by scoring a field goal, expanding their lead to 20-10 at halftime.
Many prominent voices within the game expressed their dismay on Twitter.
“The nfl is terrible!!!” Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons wrote. “Change the rules or just make the league 7 on 7!!”
“Cmon man!!! You can’t call that…terrible,” Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor said.
“This is not football anymore,” former head coach Tony Dungy said. “I know we have to protect the QB but Chris Jones was recovering a fumble. We have gotten ridiculous with this.”
“‘Nothing the passer’ strikes again,” NBC analyst Chris Simms wrote. “This is ruining the sport.”
I’m sitting at a bar drinking Tito’s with Chief fans yelling at me,” former referee and FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira said. “I DO NOT BLAME THEM!”
“Chris Jones just became the first player in NFL history called for roughing the passer while holding the ball,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said.
The NFL could have a major problem on its hands after two egregious calls with major game ramifications. It’s sure to be a loud talking point throughout the week.