The Bills' 23-20 victory over the Jets on Monday Night Football had all the ingredients for a classic showdown — two of the NFL's best quarterbacks, two aggressive defenses, and a game that came down to the wire. But instead of walking away talking about Josh Allen or Aaron Rodgers, we're talking about yellow flags.
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Both teams were flagged 11 times, combining for 204 penalty yards — the most in any game this season. It's the kind of stat that makes you wince, not out of awe but out of frustration.
The game was constantly disrupted by stoppages, with everything from holding to pass interference to questionable roughing-the-passer calls. Even Rodgers couldn't hold back, calling out a head-scratching unnecessary roughness call on Bills' edge rusher A.J. Epenesa in the third quarter, referring to it as "ridiculous."
Rodgers didn't stop there, though.
"We might as well play Sarcastaball if we're going to call those things," he told reporters.
His frustration was obvious, and it's hard to blame him. Sure, some penalties are necessary — blatant fouls need to be called — but when the flow of the game is interrupted over and over, it's not good for anyone. You could feel the rhythm getting sucked right out of what should've been a thrilling contest.
The hope for the NFL is that this was just a bad night for the zebras, not a trend. Because if penalties keep stealing the spotlight, the league's on-field product is going to suffer.
Here's hoping the officials tighten things up before the season drags on like this too often. Too many refs, it seems, are still in preseason form, and their calls shouldn't decide the game's outcome.
That said, the NFL has had an officiating problem for decades. It makes you think the league just doesn't really care.
