Every week there appears to be a controversial roughing the passer call in the NFL, and that was no different in Week 16. This week, that penalty occurred in the Minnesota Vikings–Detroit Lions game, as the referees called another questionable penalty.
Vikings linebacker Pat Jones II was rushing to get to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, but made contact with Goff after the quarterback had gotten rid of the ball. While it seemed like Jones didn’t hit Goff too late or egregiously, the referees still penalized him for roughing the passer, much to the disdain of the Vikings team.
NFL fans were up in arms over the call, as the Lions got a free first down instead of being forced into a third-and-long situation, and they took to social media to express their displeasure.
For the Vikings to have a chance at winning the NFC North, they need to defeat the Lions both on Sunday and in the final week of the season. Every play is important, so getting the wrong end of a controversial call is a tough break for Minnesota.
