Tom Brady is the best quarterback, if not a player, in the history of the NFL. He has won seven Super Bowls and holds a ludicrous number of passing touchdowns, yards, and quarterback victories records. Nobody can deny that he has earned his achievements, but many, especially on the teams he has defeated, cannot help but observe that he has had some assistance from the officials.
On Sunday, the NFL community believed they witnessed the most heinous case to date. Amid the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-15 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, referee Jerome Boger called Grady Jarrett for roughing the passer on what appeared to be the cleanest possible sack on Tom Brady. How in the world is an opposition defense supposed to bring down Brady if this is illegal?
It would have forced the Buccaneers to punt and gave Atlanta the ball with three minutes remaining and the opportunity to grab the lead. Instead, Tampa Bay was able to maintain possession and run out the time, resulting in a victory that improved their record to 3-2. The Falcons’ record drops to 2-3, at least in part because of that perplexing flag.
It would be difficult to argue that this was the worst roughing-the-passer call in NFL history, but it certainly dominated the rest of the game. It didn’t help that it benefited Tom Brady, whose popularity has given him “most favored nation” status throughout the league. It is common knowledge that Brady receives more questionable calls than most other famous quarterbacks, leading opponents to suspect a conspiracy.
This is not a topic that Brady especially enjoys discussing. After the game, when asked about the penalty, he simply responded, “I don’t throw the flags.”
True, but what about the individual who threw the flag? Boger was questioned about the call after the game, which is never a good indication for a referee, and his response was uninformative. Boger informed the reporters that the defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and threw him to the ground needlessly. This was the basis for my decision-making.
Doug Farrar of USA Today noted that this was Boger’s second contentious roughing the passer call in the prior week. A similar play was made against Baltimore CB Brandon Stephens in the Ravens’ Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Boger’s team was likewise benched during the playoffs of the previous season.
So, at least in this instance, it may not be due to Brady’s well-known propensity to successfully plead for flags or a league-wide mandate that the 45-year-old be protected above all others for the sake of the Ratings Gods. This may be a typical account of a public servant with a terrible previous track record blowing another key call. However, because Brady was the recipient, it was inevitable that he would dominate the news coverage.
Player of the week
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills. Allen remarked before the Bills’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A 98-yard assertion. That was the length of his first touchdown pass to Gabe Davis on Sunday, which tied for the longest offensive score in franchise history and was the longest pass thrown in the NFL since Week 1 of the 2016 season.
Allen was on pace to throw for 700 yards after the first half, with four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown before the break. After the Steelers scored a field goal in the first quarter, Bill’s defense held the Steelers scoreless for the remainder of the contest. Buffalo’s victory improved their record to 4-1, while Pittsburgh’s fell to 1-4.
Weekly video of the week
The highlight of the Jets’ 40-17 victory was Quinnen Williams’ hit on Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill. The Jets improved to 3-2 with the victory, capitalizing on the fact that the Dolphins were missing experienced quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who was injured early in the game. Bridgewater passed the concussion test, but the newly implemented regulations prevented the Dolphins from reintroducing him into the game. After what occurred to Tua Tagovailoa in Miami’s previous game, it was very understandable for this to occur.
This was not the only unfortunate injury news for Miami. Following the game, Hill was observed wearing walking boots. Hill’s foot was stepped on late in the game, according to head coach Mike McDaniel, so the injury was unrelated to Williams’s hit.
Statistics of the week
0-for-6. The Lions failed on all fourth-down attempts against the Patriots, setting an unfortunate record in the NFL. It was a puzzling 29-0 whitewash for a Lions squad that entered Gillette averaging 35 points per game. Due to injuries to Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, the New England Patriots were starting their third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe. The Lions dropped to 1-4, while the Patriots improved to 2-3, but a quarterback issue may be brewing. After all, Zappe would not be the first New England third-stringer to leap.
The quotation of the week
“He is constantly in a favorable position. When we go out on the field and how to begin the game and the openers, I do feel confident. Again, it’s simply how we begin. And that’s part of the quarterback, too, getting him comfortable and established into the game so he can get into a rhythm” — Doug Pederson, head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, expressing confidence in their young quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
This season has been a tale of two Lawrences. After starting the season with the best QBR in the league, the first choice in the 2021 draught has appeared completely outclassed in the last two games, tossing just two touchdowns while committing seven turnovers. Sunday’s 13-6 loss to the Houston Texans dropped the Jaguars’ record to 2-3.
It has been unpleasant to observe, but Pederson is correct not to be very concerned about the 23-year-old. This Jacksonville club is still in the process of recovering from the terrible Urban Meyer era, despite their good start. Lawrence is not yet a finished product, and the version we’ve seen in the last two games isn’t the real him any more than the Jacksonville Jaguars we saw momentarily resemble contenders. Stay strong, Duval County.
The remainder of the league
The Philadelphia Eagles entered Arizona’s State Farm Stadium on Sunday with a perfect record and departed the stadium with the same record. When the Arizona Cardinals leveled the game 17-17 in the fourth quarter, it appeared like Philadelphia’s perfect 5-0 start to the season was in jeopardy.
However, a late Cameron Dicker field goal gave Philadelphia the lead for good, securing the Eagles’ perfect start to the season. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray and the Cardinals have dropped to 2-3, with all three defeats occurring at home. Refer to it as a home-field disadvantage.
When the game comes down to a Justin Tucker field goal from less than a few miles away, the Baltimore Ravens are virtually assured of victory. This occurred on Sunday Night Football when the kicker’s 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game gave Baltimore a 19-17 victory and first place in the AFC North. Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson were not at their best, but Lamar Jackson made some big plays with his legs on the night’s final drive.
Darnell Mooney, a receiver for the Chicago Bears, makes this one-handed catch against the Minnesota Vikings. It was a highlight for the Bears that turned around what appeared to be a forgettable loss.
The Vikings led 21-3 before Chicago scored 19 consecutive points to grab the lead, 22-21. Then, Kirk Cousins raced for a score and completed a two-point conversion to seal a 29-22 victory and improve the team’s record to 4-1. The Bears’ record is now 2-3, but they deserve credit for fighting back instead of giving up early. There are times when you must settle for moral wins.
No one would have predicted that the New York Giants would have a better record than the Green Bay Packers at this stage in the season, but Daniel Jones and company pulled off a 27-22 comeback victory in London to open Sunday’s NFL action. Currently, the Giants are 4-1 while the Packers are 3-2. New York’s payoff? “Worst 4-1” began trending instantly on Twitter.
