The NFL has clearly shifted its rules to attempt to keep star quarterbacks as healthy as possible, increasingly becoming strict while enforcing roughing-the-passer calls. However, fans took exception to one roughing call in particular on Sunday night that most thought they got wrong.
The New York Giants completely bottled up the Buffalo Bills offense for much of the first half. Through 25 minutes of play, the Giants held a 6-0 lead.
New York had the Bills backed up to their own 10-yard line with 5:03 remaining in the second quarter. It looked like they would force another punt on this Bills possession. That was until Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke was called for a very questionable roughing-the-passer call on Bills star Josh Allen.
Roughing the passer? Really? #SNF 🏈👮♂️🦓 pic.twitter.com/53j3winQJw
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 16, 2023
It looked like Okereke was trying to swat the ball as Allen threw it. His momentum then sent Allen backward as he was throwing. Nothing in that play remotely looked like it warranted a roughing call, which NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay stated on the SNF broadcast.
“And Cris (Collinsworth), I’m gonna tell you it’s not a foul,” said McAulay. “It’s not late. It’s not to the head and neck area. This is a legal hit on the quarterback throwing on the run.”
"And Cris, I'm gonna tell you it's not a foul. It's not late. It's not to the head and neck area. This is a legal hit on the quarterback throwing on the run."- NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay🏈🦓🎙️ #SNF https://t.co/NUFFXagJhR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 16, 2023
Fans largely agreed that the refs got this one wrong and blasted them on social media.
This might be the worst roughing the passer call so far this season. pic.twitter.com/kuzrdgTaqW
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 16, 2023
Roughing the passer? pic.twitter.com/F8ucZOhEJm
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 16, 2023
Giants called for Roughing The Passer after not tucking Josh Allen in and singing him a bedtime story after laying him gently to the turf pic.twitter.com/FQPNOwF2TN
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) October 16, 2023
how is this roughing the passer 😡😡😡
refs today have been influencing outcomes with terrible yet massively impactful calls and it’s disgusting
NFL needs to get a handle on these refs pic.twitter.com/nPt2dmFF1t
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 16, 2023
This is a BAD roughing the passer call…
Refs gotta be better.
pic.twitter.com/vRMyI2gLP1— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 16, 2023
This was called roughing the passer 🤔
pic.twitter.com/LZzw3btprS— PFF (@PFF) October 16, 2023
Unless you are a Bills fan, you hate to see that call as it ultimately penalizes textbook defense like Okereke had here on this play.
Luckily for the Giants, this bad call didn’t cost them anything. Okereke would come up with another excellent play later on in the drive, tipping a Josh Allen pass which allowed fellow Giants linebacker Micah McFadden to come up with a drive-ending interception.
Bobby Okereke tips it to Micah McFadden for the INT!
The two combined for a forced and recovered fumble earlier in the game 🔥 @BobbyOkereke @micah_mcfaddy
📺: #NYGvsBUF on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/7gJiGANIor pic.twitter.com/PU2zz29fRl— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2023
[Awful Announcing, Photo Credit: NBC]
