After Further Review: Jets-Patriots Officiating

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 6-47 (leading to zero Jets first downs)
Jets 3-30 (leading to one Patriots first down)

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

Jets Penalties

  • Ryan Griffin false start. While the defender came across into the neutral zone, Griffin flinched before this.

Patriots Penalties

  • Devin Asiasi false start. Flinched before the snap.
  • Joejuan Williams holding penalty on a kickoff return. This was away from the ball and mostly happened offscreen. This was initially spotted at the 15 as if it was a 10-yard penalty on a return to the 25 but the return was actually stopped at the 15, so they corrected it to half the distance and spotted it at the 7.5-yard line before the snap.
  • Deliberate delay of game while in punt formation.

Penalties warranting further discussion or explanation

Jets Penalties

  • Jeff Smith offensive pass interference. Made contact with the defensive player while the ball was still in the air, although he didn't engage fully.
  • Folorunso Fatukasi roughing the passer. This wasn't a late hit but Fatukasi did kind of launch into Cam Newton leading with his helmet and landed on top of him. Either element could have led to this call being made, but it's difficult for a player like Fatukasi to control himself when trying to explode to the quarterback on a quick rush like this.

Patriots Penalties

  • Illegal man downfield. This was initially called on number 72 (Jermaine Eluemenor) and then the official corrected himself and said it was actually on 75 (Justin Herron) but replays showed it was Eluemenor after all.
  • Illegal block in the back on Terrence Brooks. This came as the gunner, Vyncint Smith, beat Brooks downfield on a punt.
  • Illegal formation. This was a botched call because although New England initially lined up with the right tackle uncovered, the tight end, who had been lined up off the line out wide, motioned down and was on the line. This made it a legal seven on the line.
  • Myles Bryant helmet-to-helmet hit on Chris Herndon's first half touchdown. An obvious call and, since the catch was made, the Jets got the option to tack the 15 yards onto their kickoff, which they then proceeded to kick short anyway.

Notable no-calls

You could tell the officials just wanted to get this one over with. No offensive holding penalties and no defensive pass interference, defensive holding or illegal contact penalties suggests they were happy to let both teams play. Of course, they always officiate New England this way against the Jets anyway, but still.

Even so, there weren't too many missed calls that anyone got particularly excited over. Tarell Basham wanted a block in the back on one play and New England appealed for a pass interference call on a Matthias Farley pass breakup.

A couple of calls were reviewed but seemed clear - Jacobi Meyers clearly had a first down on a play where he was erroneously marked short, Sam Darnold had a clear incompletion on a shovel pass initially ruled as a fumble and they correctly upheld Jamison Crowder's sideline catch.

One interesting play was Devin Asiasi's touchdown where Arthur Maulet stripped the ball away at the goal line. You may think it shouldn't matter, because Asiasi fell on the loose ball anyway, but he stepped out of bounds first so that would have made it a touchback. It looks like he broke the plane first though.

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