NFL fans and pundits were in an uproar over an incredibly high penalty count on Monday Night Football between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
The officiating team, led by referee Adrian Hill, called 22 penalties during the match – tied for the most penalties in any match this season.
To make matters worse, the two teams combined for a whopping 204 meters of penalties, leading some to believe they were seeing Hill on their screen more often than some players.
Social media erupted in outrage, especially on the Jets’ final drive, where a controversial fumble was called an incomplete pass and three questionable penalties were called.
Referee Adrian Hill and his team threw 22 flags for an incomprehensible penalty of 204 meters
“The officials blew this game,” wrote ESPN Jets beat writer Rich Cimini.
‘These referees are biased[ed] tonight,” wrote Amazon analyst and former cornerback Richard Sherman. “I don’t use that lightly, but it’s obvious. These aren’t my teams, but these calls don’t make sense. I see similar contact from Buffalo DBs and nothing is called.”
“Glad the refs made tonight about themselves,” wrote Barstool Sports podcaster Big Cat.
MSNBC’s Luke Russert, an avid Buffalo Bills fan, wrote, “I’m speechless. The referees really dictate this match. PI on Bills is wiped out by a phantom penalty for “unnecessary roughness”. Disgusting things in New Jersey. Park your prejudices, if you’re a fan of the game you hate this shit.’
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson tweeted, “Those damn refs are ruining the damn game, my goodness.”
An irate Mina Kimes, the NFL analyst at ESPN, simply tweeted in all caps: “ENOUGH.”
Even Joe Buck, the play-by-play commentator for the game, joked about Hill, saying he “needed his SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) card after all these calls tonight” because of how often he appeared. on television.
Social media was in an uproar over the high number of penalties awarded during the game
In the end, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers essentially sealed the game for the Bills when he threw an interception to Taron Johnson to give Buffalo the ball back with a 23-20 lead – which they would hold on for the win.
After that game, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III posted, “Jets can’t catch a break even with help.”
At a post-match press conference, Rodgers called the penalties ‘ridiculous’ and added: ‘Some of them seemed really bad, including the passer bothering me. That’s not harassing the passerby.’
Rodgers even referenced the comedy show “South Park” when he said, “We might as well play Sarcastaball if we’re going to call those things.”
It was a windy game with kickers Tyler Bass and Greg Zuerlein both missing kicks in the blustery conditions.
According to OptaStats, this was the first match in which each team had more than 10 penalties and missed multiple kicks (FG or extra points) since October 18, 1987.
In that game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants, the teams used scab replacement players in the middle of an NFL offense.