NY Jets fans are furious at embarrassing officiating in first half vs. Falcons
By Justin Fried
NFL officiating is an absolute embarrassment every single week, and that was made abundantly clear during the NY Jets' Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Jets fans are mad — rightfully so.
The Jets were victimized by one of the worst sequences of NFL officiating you might have ever seen toward the end of the second quarter.
In total, the Jets were penalized a whopping seven times over the final 3:49 of the second quarter. The Falcons, on the other hand, had zero accepted penalties during that same time span.
Of those seven penalties, at least 4-5 were blatantly incorrect. This includes an illegal contact call on cornerback D.J. Reed, which wiped out a Desmond Ridder interception. Instead, the Falcons would get the ball back and score before the end of the half.
The NY Jets were absolutely screwed by horrible NFL officiating
The refereeing atrocities don't end there. Just a few plays later, Justin Hardee was flagged for an illegal block in the back on the ensuing punt. Hardee didn't even make contact with the player he supposedly illegally blocked.
On the very next play, wide receiver Garrett Wilson was flagged for a hold, negating a 12-yard Breece Hall run. The replay showed that Wilson barely made contact with the defender. There's no argument it was a hold.
Three plays later, linebacker Chazz Surratt was penalized for illegal use of his helmet on a tackle he made with his arm. Surratt's helmet didn't make contact with the punt returner.
A questionable defensive pass interference call on Quincy Williams and another debatable unnecessary roughness penalty on Reed later, and Jets fans were ready to riot at MetLife Stadium.
Even the announcers on Fox were perplexed by the ridiculously one-sided and blatantly incorrect officiating. It was as embarrassing as any officiating sequence in the NFL this season.
Jets fans are angry. The players are angry. Heck, even the announcers are upset. Everyone watching this game is aware of how disastrous the officiating has been.