Controversial Roughing the Passer Call in Chiefs-Raiders Game Goes Viral

Another day, another controversial roughing the passer penalty.

After Sunday’s late-game flag that extended Tampa Bay’s drive and helped the Buccaneers seal a 21–15 win over the Falcons, officials found themselves in the middle of more controversy at the end of the first half in Monday night’s Chiefs-Raiders game.

With Las Vegas holding a 17–7 lead with under two minutes to play in the second quarter, Kansas City’s Chris Jones sacked Derek Carr, ripping the ball away before Carr even hit the turf. Jones landed on top of Carr, which prompted the officiating crew to issue a roughing the passer penalty and give possession back to Las Vegas. The Raiders increased their lead to 20–7 four plays later on a 50-yard field goal by Dan Carlson.

Chiefs fans at Arrowhead Stadium were furious about the call, and their frustration was reflected by others who voiced their displeasure with the flag on Twitter. A similar response came after the call in the Bucs-Falcons game on Sunday. When asked about the play afterward, Brady responded simply, “I don’t throw the flags.”

With Monday night’s game the central sporting event of the night, there was no shortage of people firing off their thoughts on the play. Here are some of the best of the bunch: