After Further Review: Jets-New England

By popular demand, we're again going to have a post after each game that breaks down some of the controversial decisions from the officiating crew in the game.

Penalty Count

Patriots 5-50 (leading to four Jets first downs)
Jets 8-55 (leading to two Patriots first downs)

Note: This does not include penalties that are declined or off-set.

Plays where the call was obvious, uncontroversial or not visible on broadcast footage

Jets Penalties

  • Delay of game on 4th-and-3. Unclear whether the Jets were going to snap it or not.
  • Defensive holding on Jalen Mills. Slight grab around the waist as Hunter Henry came out of his break. Soft but difficult to dispute.
  • Neutral zone infraction on Solomon Thomas. Bit on the hard count and then an offensive lineman moved so it was blown dead.
  • Javon Kinlaw offside. Mistimed the snap and was already across the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped.
  • Illegal man downfield on a pass against Morgan Moses. Correct call, although Joe Tippmann was even further down the field.
  • Jarrick Bernard-Converse holding on punt return. It was difficult to see this one but he was battling with the gunner Brenden Schooler, who ultimately tripped over him. Schooler wasn't dragged to the ground here but a hold could have been further up the field.
  • Delay of game on a two-point conversion.

Patriots Penalties

  • Marcus Jones illegal hands to the face. Grab on Garrett Wilson's helmet.
  • Christian Gonzalez pass interference. Grabbed Davante Adams' left hand, impeding his ability to make a play on the ball.
  • Christian Elliss pass interference. Never got his head turned and shoved Breece Hall out of bounds before the ball arrived. If he got his head around and played the ball, his positioning was good and there's no way that would have been completed, but it's a definite penalty the way he played it.
  • Pass interference against Jones again on Wilson. Once again he grabbed Wilson's hand.
  • Offensive holding on Michael Jordan to negate a huge gain. Quinnen Williams would have had a sack here but Jordan grabbed him from behind.

Penalties warranting further discussion or explanation

Jets Penalties

  • Micheal Clemons roughing the passer. Clemons extended his arms, probably unnecessarily, to shove the quarterback after a pass was released. There was no helmet contact but he got him high up on the chest so even if you consider this not to be late it was arguably forcible contact to the (head and) neck area. This was kind of soft but if it comes down to it, Clemons didn't need to extend and shove there, so he only has himself to blame.

Patriots Penalties

  • Jacquelin Roy defensive holding on a run play. A rare call, given because Roy was double teamed by Jake Hanson and Tippmann and maintained a handful of Tippmann's jersey that prevented him from climbing to the second level. A correct call that had no effect on the play.

Notable no-calls etc

Here were some of the other notable missed calls, replay situations and controversial moments:

  • Jairus Monroe just about managed to avoid an illegal block in the back on Xavier Gipson's long punt return;
  • Adams should have had pass interference in the first quarter because the cornerback had a handful of his jersey;
  • The Jets wasted four timeouts to prevent delay of game calls. Rodgers tried to use another on the two-point conversion but got the signal in too late;
  • Although it wouldn't matter (apart from possibly meaning they get half the distance and punch in a two pointer from the one), there should definitely have been a flag for a hit on a defenseless receiver on the Tyler Conklin touchdown. He took a shoulder to the helmet;
  • Jamien Sherwood almost had a helmet to helmet hit on a dropped pass over the middle but managed to barely avoid contact;
  • Despite juggling the catch, Gipson's touchdown was correctly upheld because the ball never hit the turf;
  • Sherwood did hit Drake Maye helmet-to-helmet on the play where Maye was knocked out of the game;
  • Hall had a catch where the ball was pried from his grasp after he was tackled to the ground. It definitely was not a fumble but could potentially have been ruled a catch and down by contact. It was only a short gain anyway;
  • Hall almost had a touchdown as he tight-roped the sideline but he was marked out a yard shy of the first down. This was crucial because the Jets had to settle for a field goal despite having 2nd-and-1 at the 11;
  • Will McDonald recovered a fumble where he ended up with possession after a battle for the loose ball in the pile. A Patriots player was ruled to have already recovered and been down by contact but it wasn't clear that he had definitely secured it at any point;
  • The ball slipped out of Rodgers' hand again but this one clearly went forwards with the arm coming forwards. It seemed to hit a Jets lineman first though, so that could have been an illegal touching flag;
  • Wilson got tangled up with Jones near the pylon and both fell to the ground. This shouldn't constitute interference so no call was correct;
  • The Patriots wanted pass interference against Isaiah Oliver in the end zone. This was physical coverage but seemed clean;
  • Quinnen Williams got away with being offside at the snap on a play near the Jets' goal line;
  • Wilson made a diving catch where the ball moved slightly and may even have hit the turf as he landed. That maybe wouldn't have been a catch several years ago but under the current rules, he probably did enough to be viewed as never having lost control. And it may not have hit the turf anyway;
  • Allen did break the plane before his knee was down or his forward progress stopped on the go-ahead touchdown;
  • Sauce Gardner had a slight grab around Kayshon Boutte's waist on one of his drops but this would have been a soft call;
  • The spot short of the goal line on the Boutte catch as Reed tackled him was clearly correct;
  • The Stevenson touchdown was unclear but there wasn't enough evidence to say he didn't make it and overturn the call; and
  • Wilson's non-catch on the final drive was a clean catch but he probably needed to squeeze it for a split second longer to be awarded the reception. The Pats' player knocked it away as Wilson seemed to already be trying to scramble to his feet to get the ball spotted.

Let us know what we missed - or misinterpreted - in the comments...