Referees make simultaneous questionable roughing the passer calls against both the Vikings and the Panthers.
The subpar state of officiating has undeniably emerged as a prominent narrative in the 2023 NFL season, and the issue has surfaced once more. On a recent Sunday, both the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers found themselves adversely affected by roughing the passer calls that, upon closer examination, appeared questionable.
In the case of the Vikings, a penalty was assessed with 9:17 remaining in the first half. Defensive lineman Patrick Jones II made minimal contact with Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, yet referee Land Clark deemed it a violation. Consequently, what should have been a second-and-26 situation transformed into a first-and-10, granting the Lions an additional 15 yards.
Similarly, the Panthers faced a penalty at the 8:44 mark in the first half when edge-rusher Yetur Gross-Matos seemingly applied too much pressure on Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Once again, the legitimacy of an actual roughing the passer infraction came into question. This penalty altered a third-and-1 scenario to a first-and-10, awarding the Packers an extra 15 yards. Kudos to referee Alex Kemp for his decision-making.
For a visual representation of both these “penalties,” you can view them right here.
