The NFL has instituted a number of rule changes in recent years to try and make the game safer, particularly for quarterbacks. While some of the rule changes have been welcome to take out big helmet-to-helmet hits and late hits along the sidelines, there’s an argument that the league has gone too far with some of the things they flag now.
The most controversial recent rule is the “body weight” roughing the passer penalties, in which players get penalized for landing on quarterbacks after making a tackle. The idea was to get rid of guys purposefully driving quarterbacks into the ground, but it often gets called on extremely normal tackles where a guy’s momentum simply carries them onto the QB because that’s just how physics work.
On Sunday, the Washington Commanders found themselves on the wrong side of one of those calls that was one of the most egregious we’ve seen this season, as KJ Henry came off the edge on a third down and sacked Mac Jones from the blindside, with Jones tucking and falling to the ground (and maybe fumbling) in the process.
This was flagged for roughing the passer pic.twitter.com/T7d76u5vgJ
— Ben Brown
(@BenBrownPL) November 5, 2023
Instead of forcing a punt or getting a fumble recovery near midfield after what would’ve surely been a review, the Patriots got a first down and were moved into field goal range, where they would cash in for three points after stalling further. It’s a fairly big swing to give the Patriots pretty much free points given New England’s offensive woes, and the Commanders and their fans were rightfully furious after the call. The biggest issue with the body weight rule is, that’s just how tackling works. Guys are going to get landed on and if you want defenders to make legal hits to the body and not go high or low (which are both also illegal), flagging them for just finishing a good form tackle is really not working to make the game safer.