Getty Image
The NFL has taken steps to protect its quarterback from questionable hits, but plenty of fans think the league has gone a bit too far in that quest—a reality that was highlighted by a controversial roughing the passing call that went against the Commanders on Sunday.
Roughing the passer has always been a bit of a judgment call in the NFL, but in recent years, defenders have had to take extra care to avoid going low or making contact with a QB’s head at the risk of getting flagged. Unfortunately, it seems like we’ve reached the point where a textbook hit can still draw a penalty.
During Sunday’s game between the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots, KJ Henry appeared to sack Mac Jones for a solid loss on third down only to see the home team get 15 yards and a fresh set of downs after the officials ruled he was guilty of roughing the passer on the play.
This was flagged for roughing the passer pic.twitter.com/T7d76u5vgJ
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) November 5, 2023
The tackle would’ve forced the Patriots to punt, but they were able to take advantage of the drive being extended by kicking the field goal that gave them a 17-10 lead around five minutes into the second half (the Commanders were ultimately able to bounce back and left Foxborough with the 20-17 victory).
According to Pats Pulpit, referee Adrian Hill addressed his decision to call the penalty after the contest and revealed why Henry crossed the line in his eyes, saying:
“I was the calling official and the call was roughing the passer due to full body weight.
The ruling on the field was that the defender came down with forceable contact, chest-to-chest. He didn’t perform one of those acts to remove most of that body weight—a gator roll or a clear to the side when he was coming in.
He came down directly with that force on the player, so the category was full body weight.”
It does seem like Henry could’ve rolled to the side as opposed to landing directly on top of Jones, but that explanation probably won’t do much to sway the opinions of the many people who viewed it as a pretty routine football play.