NFL fans and pundits were up in arms over an incredibly high number of penalties on Monday Night Football between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
The refereeing team, led by referee Adrian Hill, awarded 22 penalties during the match, tied for the most penalties awarded in any match this season.
To add insult to injury, the two teams combined for an outrageous 204 penalty yards, leading some to believe they were seeing Hill on their screens more than some of the players.
Social media exploded with outrage, especially on the Jets’ final drive, where a controversial fumble was ruled an incomplete pass and three questionable penalties were called.
Referee Adrian Hill and his team threw 22 flags for an incomprehensible 204 yards of penalties.
“The refs have ruined this game,” ESPN Jets writer Rich Cimini wrote.
“These referees are biased tonight,” wrote analyst and former Amazon cornerback Richard Sherman. ‘I don’t use it lightly, but it’s obvious. These aren’t my teams but these calls don’t make sense. I see a similar contact from Buffalo DB and it’s not called anything.’
“The referees were happy tonight,” Barstool Sports podcaster Big Cat wrote.
MSNBC’s Luke Russert, an avid Buffalo Bills fan, posted: “I’m speechless.” The referees are really dictating this game. PI on Bills is eliminated by a phantom “unnecessary harshness” penalty. Disgusting things in New Jersey. Leave your bias, if you’re a fan of the game you hate this rubbish.’
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson tweeted: “The damn referees are ruining the damn game, OMG.”
A furious Mina Kimes, an NFL analyst on ESPN, simply tweeted in all caps: ‘ENOUGH.’
Even Joe Buck, the game’s play-by-play commentator, made a joke about Hill, saying that he “would need his SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) card after all these calls tonight” because of how frequently he appeared. on television.
Social networks were outraged by the high number of penalties called in the match.
Finally, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers essentially sealed the game for the Bills when he threw an interception to Taron Johnson to give the ball back to Buffalo with a 23-20 lead, which they would hold to win.
After that play, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III posted: “Jets can’t break even with help.”
In a postgame news conference, Rodgers called the penalties “ridiculous” and added, “I thought some of them were really bad, including the aggression the quarterback gave me.” That’s not roughing the passer.
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 windswept game where kickers Tyler Bass and Greg Zuerlein missed multiple kicks in the windy conditions.
According to OptaStats, this was the first game in which each team had more than 10 penalties and missed multiple shots (FG or extra points) since October 18, 1987.
In that game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants, the teams were using scab replacement players in the middle of an NFL strike.