On the final drive of Sunday Night Football's first half in Los Angeles, the Chargers were gifted a roughing the passer penalty by the referees.
As quarterback Justin Herbert dropped back and attempted a pass for rookie Ladd McConkey, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson brought him down by the collar of his jersey. A yellow flag soon followed and Hendrickson was assessed a 15-yard penalty, despite not having committed a foul. A horse-collar tackle when a QB is in the pocket is not an illegal move, and Hendrickson was fuming in the aftermath.
Given the weak nature of the call. Fans across the NFL were none too pleased, and took to X (formerly Twitter) to let out their frustrations.
In the grand scheme of the game so far, it likely doesn’t matter but this was called roughing the passer against Trey Hendrickson.
— Joey DeBerardino (@JoeyDeBerardino) November 18, 2024
NBC crew confirms a horse collar is legal contact when the QB is in the pocket.
Wrong call here and Hendrickson was rightfully angry. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/WlPEYqm4lY
Bengals called for roughing the passer here. #CINvsLAC pic.twitter.com/Dtfz9pcf6c
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) November 18, 2024
Roughing the passer 😂
— Barstool Cincinnati (@UCBarstool) November 18, 2024
NFL is soft as shit
Roughing the passer?!? Give me a break… Burrow gets hit 5 seconds after a whistle and not flag. If you don’t think the NFL hates the Bengals. You’re an idiot.
— 17th Son (@17thSonSchaefer) November 18, 2024
Grabbing a shoulder pad and pulling a quarterback down is now roughing the passer. pic.twitter.com/JWvSiGbiu4
— Sean Joseph (@sjoseph_sports) November 18, 2024
How is this roughing the passer on Herbert??pic.twitter.com/cMXvJc416d
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 18, 2024
Herbert's first incompletion? Nah. Roughing the passer! The #Bengals can't get out of their own way. pic.twitter.com/kr0umP6uSP
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) November 18, 2024
Grabbing a shoulder pad and pulling a quarterback down is now roughing the passer. pic.twitter.com/JWvSiGbiu4
— Sean Joseph (@sjoseph_sports) November 18, 2024
The penalty allowed the Chargers to finish an 11-play, 78-yard drive with a 19-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker as time expired in the first half, extending their lead over the Bengals to 24-6.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fans Rip Refs for Weak Roughing the Passer Call on Justin Herbert.