Every week there appears to be a controversial roughing the passer call in the NFL, and that was no different in Week 16. This week, that penalty occurred in the Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions game, as the referees called another questionable penalty.
Vikings linebacker Pat Jones II was rushing to get to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, but made contact with Goff after the quarterback had gotten rid of the ball. While it seemed like Jones didn’t hit Goff too late or egregiously, the referees still penalized him for roughing the passer, much to the disdain of the Vikings team.
“roughing the passer” pic.twitter.com/PsUFLUf8NA
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 24, 2023
NFL fans were up in arms over the call, as the Lions got a free first down instead of being forced into a third-and-long situation, and they took to social media to express their displeasure.
Worst Roughing call I've ever seen . Also completely changed the dynamic of the game . Would have been 3rd and 20 . Now first down. There's no way these refs should not be reprimanded for these terrible , game changing calls
— Tycoon Sports (@Tycoon_Sports4) December 24, 2023
Can't touch 'em. Just put some red flag football belts on them and when the D pulls them off, the QB is "down." Lol
— Dennis Koulatsos (@DennisKoulatsos) December 24, 2023
This league is a joke. Referees are horrible. I’m so tired of watching games where the officials decide who wins and loses. https://t.co/hVOAIL5iba
— Jared Barsness (@JaredBarsNFL) December 24, 2023
Officials are told to throw the flag “when in doubt” on QB roughing penalties.
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) December 24, 2023
That’s the standard. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/zucJoNoQXL
Would be so easy to just gets calls correct, but the @NFL refuses. Infuriating. https://t.co/7mz6Ih4uG5
— Brandon… (@B_Wi11s) December 24, 2023
Stop this madness. They’re unfortunately going to have to make this reviewable because the officials can’t control themselves in real time. https://t.co/6RZzadfdO1
— Matt Smith (@MattSmithCFB) December 24, 2023
This may be the absolute worst roughing the passer call ever. A damn 🤡 league https://t.co/xpYkobDkyF
— Gunz (@TheGunzShow) December 24, 2023
For the Vikings to have a chance at winning the NFC North, they need to defeat the Lions both on Sunday and in the final week of the season. Every play is important, so getting the wrong end of a controversial call is a tough break for Minnesota.
