Tag: Penalties

Justin Strnad, Tremon Smith plead their cases after ‘TNF’ penalties

“I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do,” Broncos LB Justin Strnad said when asked about the Justin Herbert slide.

The Denver Broncos were penalized seven times for 61 yards in a 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football in Week 16.

One of the most crucial fouls came from linebacker Justin Strnad, who was penalized for “barely” hitting sliding Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on a third down in the third quarter. Instead of facing 4th-and-6 from Denver’s 11-yard line, L.A. was gifted a 1st-and-goal from the five-yard line.

The Chargers went on to score a touchdown. Assuming they would have kicked a field goal on fourth down if not for the penalty, that foul was a four-point swing.

After the game, Strnad initially said he had “no comment” on the play before later saying, “I don’t think it was a penalty.”

When asked if he made contact with Herbert, the linebacker had this response: “I think I like barely hit him. I mean, he’s a huge quarterback, I’m getting ready to tackle him, he slides last second. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do.”

This is the play in question:

Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith also had a crucial penalty that cost the team points. Just before halftime, Smith made contact with a returner who had called fair catch. The resulting 15-yard penalty gifted the Chargers a fair catch free kick, a three-point swing.

Smith admitted it was a “dumb penalty,” but he also implied that the returner manipulated the situation.

“The returner did a good job of selling it, just running into me even though he wasn’t going to catch the ball,” Smith said. “Like I said, dumb penalties.”

Strnad and Smith will look to bounce back when the Broncos face the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 17.

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Twitter reacts to missed pass interference penalty on ‘TNF’

Tarheeb Still appeared to get away with pass interference against Marvin Mims on Thursday. Here’s how Twitter/X reacted to the no-call.

In the fourth quarter of a Thursday Night Football game at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Tarheeb Still got away with a blatant pass interference penalty against Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix underthrew a deep pass to Mims and Still caught up to the receiver and grabbed his arm and made contact before the ball arrived without turning around to look for or defend the ball. It appeared to be textbook pass interference.

No flag was thrown, though, and the Broncos went on to punt while trailing by three points. A completion would have put Denver within field goal range to potentially tie the game (or take the lead with a touchdown).

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter/X reacted to the missed call.

The Broncos went on to lose the game 34-27, so that non-penalty proved to be a crucial play. Of course, no the no-call for DPI would have been a moot point if Nix led Mims. A better pass likely would have resulted in a touchdown.

Up next for Denver is a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals (6-8) next Saturday (Dec. 28). With two games remaining, the Broncos need to win one game to clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs.

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Browns CB Greg Newsome II takes shots at Steelers WR George Pickens ahead of Week 14 rematch

Greg Newsome II calls out George Pickens for the receiver’s selfish play ahead of the Steelers-Browns Week 14 matchup.

The bad blood between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in Week 14 appears to be starting early, as Browns CB Greg Newsome II held nothing back when discussing his potential matchup with Steelers WR George Pickens.

Week 14 will mark the second meeting between Newsome and Pickens, with their first WR-CB matchup being marred by the chaotic fight that followed the Steelers’ failed Hail Mary attempt in Week 12.

Newsome claimed that Pickens is so focused on himself that he’s willing to jeopardize the Steelers. He argued that anyone who disagrees need only look at the wide receiver’s recent penalties caused by his immature outbursts.

Pickens will need to keep his composure in Week 14’s matchup against the Browns. With his recent in-game implosions and immature antics, teams are likely to focus on pushing him to snap. Fans can watch all the drama and action unfold when the Steelers take on the Browns on December 8 at 1:00 PM EST.

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Mike Tomlin shifts blame away from Joey Porter Jr. regarding penalties

Mike Tomlin defended Joey Porter Jr.’s penalties in Week 13, crediting Tee Higgins’ physical play for the challenges Porter faced.

It’s safe to say that the majority of those watching the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 13 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals were more than disappointed with the number of penalties committed by the Black and Gold, particularly CB Joey Porter Jr., who was responsible for six of the Steelers’ sixteen penalties.

Well, almost everyone. HC Mike Tomlin seemingly gave Porter a pass for his struggles with penalties this week. Speaking on a multitude of Week 13 topics during the postgame press conference, Tomlin had this to say about Porter’s penalty issues: “Tee Higgins got a lot to do with that, man. Tee is a goon. He is. You can’t let him beat you up, while at the same time, the officials are going to call it the way they’re going to call it. Sometimes, man, I kind of absorb some of what comes with that. You cannot let a big dude you up. You got to match fire with fire.”

It’s clear that Tomlin appreciated the physicality Porter showed in Week 13, even if it gave the Cincinnati Bengals plenty of opportunities to score throughout the contest.

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Steelers fans react to penalty-filled Week 13 Steelers’ victory

Fans react to the penalty-filled Week 13 game, where the Steelers overcame miscues and missed calls to secure a win over the Bengals.

While the Pittsburgh Steelers dominated on offense in their Week 13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, one negative aspect could not be ignored: penalties. A total of 29 penalties were committed by both teams, with 20 being accepted.

The Pittsburgh Steelers players most responsible for their team’s penalty woes were found on both sides of the football, as none other than WR George Pickens and CB Joey Porter Jr. stood out.

Pickens was responsible for 30 penalty yards, while Porter gave the Bengals 57 yards on significant pass interference and defensive holding penalties.

The officiating, however, was not without controversy. The Cincinnati Bengals were essentially gifted a pick-six on a missed call, where CB Cam Taylor-Britt swung Pickens by the helmet to the ground, positioning himself perfectly with no penalty called.

With this in mind, fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers, while satisfied with their team’s victory in Week 13, were understandably frustrated by the penalties. Whether minor, flagrant, or a no-call, here are some of the best fan reactions to the penalty-filled game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.

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Mike Tomlin has a ‘Joey Porter Jr.’ sized penalty problem

Joey Porter Jr.’s penalties overshadow his coverage skills in the Steelers’ Week 13 victory.

Joey Porter Jr. has delivered some great coverage performances thus far in 2024, but his issues with penalties continue to haunt the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first three quarters of Week 13’s matchup between the Steelers and Bengals, Porter committed several completely unnecessary penalties that put Cincinnati in prime scoring position.

With less than nine minutes to go in the fourth-quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, Porter added two more penalty-worthy plays to what has been a lackluster day from the young Steelers defender.

Porter not only held Higgins on the play but committed his second pass interference penalty in the end zone, practically gift-wrapping the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals offense a touchdown.

While Porter’s first pass interference in the end zone was technically uncatchable, it was still a poor decision by the Steelers CB.

Porter continues to rack up additional penalties, with his most recent being an illegal hands to the face with less than three minutes remaining in Week 13.

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George Pickens continues to rack up personal fouls

George Pickens continues to struggle with poor decisions on the field.

We said last week that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens isn’t talented enough to be such a red flag in games. How much on-field nonsense the Steelers can tolerate has to be balanced out by production and for Pickens, those things aren’t happening.

Barely through two quarters against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pickens already has two personal fouls, one of with was a taunt. This put him on notice that another personal foul of that type would result in an ejection. Fortunately for Pickens, when he got an unsportsmanlike penalty for a finger-gun celebration, the officials decided it didn’t fall into the same category.

Last week Pickens refused to talk to the media after getting into a fight at the end of the Steelers loss to the Cleveland Browns on the team’s final play. If the Steelers can’t find a way to win this one, Pickens will once again have to answer for his behavior and its impact on the team.

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Officials gift Bengals a pick-six after missed call on George Pickens

Officials missed a blatant penalty in Week 13 as Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt grabbed George Pickens’ helmet, setting up a pick-six.

Officials made their presence felt early in Week 13’s contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. While much of the discussion leading up to the game centered on the necessity for the Black and Gold offense to score early and often to keep pace with Cincinnati’s threatening offense, the black-and-white-striped referees heavily influenced the contest within the first five minutes.

With 11:56 remaining in the first quarter, Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt pulled on Steelers WR George Pickens‘ helmet, knocking the wide receiver to the ground and positioning himself for a routine pick-six.

The referees missed this obvious penalty, which could have been flagged as illegal contact, holding, or illegal hands to the face. This allowed the dangerous Bengals team to seize all the momentum. Pickens would ultimately score a touchdown on a later Pittsburgh drive, giving his team a much-needed breath of life on offense.

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NFL assigns Brad Allen as referee for Rams vs. Saints

The NFL has assigned Brad Allen as the referee for the Saints vs. Rams matchup in Week 13. His crew is known for keeping their flags in their pockets:

The New Orleans Saints will remain at home this week for a third straight game (and a fourth straight week with the bye) to take on the Los Angeles Rams, and the referee has been announced as Brad Allen for this matchup. Allen has been one of the least interfering referees this season and has been pretty even in his calls for both home and away teams as well.

In games he has been the head referee, the Rams have a 6-5 record, and the Saints have a 5-4 record, so both are favorable but near even. Allen has already called a Rams game this season as well, their matchup with the Green Bay Packers, which ended in a Packers victory. In that game, he called 7 penalties for 39 yards against the Packers, and 5 penalties for 30 yards against the Rams, which is a very stingy game by all accounts.

So far this season, he has the second least penalty yards given overall with 860, and the only referee with less is John Hussey (who has been referee for two less games this season). He also has the fourth-fewest flags thrown on the season (the least of referees with at least 11 games called in 2024), and the third least flags per game (11.27).

Of those 11.27 flags, 5.09 per game were called against the home team, while 6.18 per game were called against the away team, so the Saints may end with a slight advantage there, but very minimal if so. Overall, Allen has been stingy with his flags this season, which could be good or bad, depending on how many actually occur on the field.

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Ex-Chiefs GM shares interesting observation on NFL penalties: ‘Leave the big guys alone’

See what former #Chiefs GM Scott Pioli had to say about an interesting trend in NFL penalties in a post to social media on Sunday.

The first half of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 12 matchup against the Carolina Panthers has been marred by a rash of penalties and with more than half of the game remaining to be played, fans are hoping that the referees don’t play a major factor in the tilt’s outcome.

Former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli took to the social media site Bluesky on Sunday afternoon to share an interesting observation about the infractions that have been called by officials this season.

Though Pioli acknowledged that he didn’t want to spread “conspiracy theories” his message was clear; “Leave the big guys alone.”

 

I know this site isn’t the place for conspiracy theories, but prior to todays #nfl games: 4 of the top 5 NFL penalty leaders are offensive linemen 10 of the top 12 NFL penalty leaders are offensive linemen 14 of the top 17 NFL penalty leaders are offensive linemen Leave the big guys alone #NFL lol

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— Scott Pioli (@scottpioli51.bsky.social) November 24, 2024 at 12:50 PM

Though all of the flags thrown in Kansas City’s matchup against Carolina have been warranted, Pioli’s assessment of the situation could add legitimacy to the growing frustrations of fans who want referees to play less of a role in games.

Stay tuned to see if Pioli’s take rings true through the rest of the Chiefs’ Week 12 tilt against the Panthers.