If you’ve followed the NFL for any length of time, you’ve no doubt heard it referred to as the No Fun League at some point. And in case you were wondering why the NFL sometimes gets that unflattering designation, something that happened in the first quarter of Sunday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals should clear up any mystery.
Facing a first-and-goal from the two-yard line, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen took a snap, faked a handoff and then moved to his right. Cincinnati safety Nick Scott read the play well, essentially mirroring Allen. The quarterback got the last laugh, though. He got Scott to leave his feet on a pump fake, which opened the lane up for Allen, who went in for a two-yard touchdown run.
On his way into the end zone, he pointed at Scott. That was more than the officials were willing to tolerate. The touchdown was allowed but Allen was penalized for taunting.
Josh Allen takes it to the house himself! pic.twitter.com/8gw0hynOyh
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 6, 2023
And while the game’s announcers seemed to understand why Allen was penalized, fans watching the game were less than enthused.
See the problem with explaining a taunting call is that it makes the act even funnier, thus putting people (me) on the side of the taunter
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 6, 2023
The NFL: *flags and fines you for taunting.*
Meanwhile, the UFC: pic.twitter.com/Yti2QFyvX9
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) November 6, 2023
A despicable act of taunting pic.twitter.com/bvx6nL79PW
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) November 6, 2023
No Fun League! Josh Allen gets a taunting penalty for pointing as he ran into the endzone. #BUFvsCIN pic.twitter.com/4DM4Cw07gw
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) November 6, 2023
Enough is enough!
That is not roughing the passer! This 🤡 crew is off to a great start… This ridiculous soft call. And the 15-yard penalty called for taunting when Josh Allen pointed at the defender… Such a joke! pic.twitter.com/KRgRabTYEE
— Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) November 6, 2023
incredibly silly league that this is a taunting flag pic.twitter.com/H3TNnwcAiB
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 6, 2023
Hey @NFL please reconsider taunting penalties. Grown men should be able to handle getting their feelings hurt pic.twitter.com/0YwRtWf0V0
— gmia (@GmiasWorld) November 6, 2023
This might not feel quite so frustrating if the penalty wasn’t 15 yards. That feels way off-kilter, especially when considering that potentially dangerous personal fouls carry the same penalty. It also leaves too much of the game up to the referee’s judgment, which is not something fans want to see.
[TSN, Photo Credit: NBC]
