Penalties

[TomPatriot]

During the presser, Brady said an official was told by the League to call the game tighter, to call more holding penalties. Brady also said there’s holding on every play. Both statements are probably true.

Here’s a list of the penalties called in the game. New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers - 12/16/2018 - NFL Penalty Stats Tracker - List/Statistics/Data of NFL Penalties - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. There were 18 penalties called. Fourteen were called against the Pats, four against the Steelers. Six were holding calls and five of those were called against New England. Why the lopsided number of holding calls against the Pats when everyone holds all the time?

Congratulations to the Steelers and especially Keith Butler, who schemed and called an excellent game. The Steelers deserved to win and played well in a pretty even game - except for the penalties.

 

[DarrylS]

Penalties yesterday were drive killers.. not sure how many happened near or in the red zone, but it seemed like quite a few... find it hard to believe there would be such a differential, not assuming a conspiracy, but it seems quite odd that of the 18 penalties called 14 were against the Pats...

I did not see the game as all that "even" till I saw the box score.. 8 yards differential in yards gained and about a minute and a half in time of possession..

Then there were the dropped passes...

 

[maineman209]

Penalties called on the Pats in WK-15, in chronological order, but no down-and-distance, or yard-line detail:

 

[NashuaPats]

The league probably showed the refs a video of the type of holding penalties they want called. The video likely featured penalties committed by the Patriots.

They've done that before with offensive pass interference.

 

[chasa]

this was such a poorly called game that i eventually stopped watching.

Like the look at a steeler? that's a pass interference

Tackle a patriot before the ball gets there? no flag.

There was a homefield bias last night so i hope that ref group isn't part of the playoffs.

 

[Sicilian]

Five of the Pats penalties were on false starts, which are pretty cut and dry (and make sense that it would be lopsided against the road team). Take those away, and there's still a discrepancy, but it's not nearly as jarring. I don't think all the calls were the right ones, but I don't think there were enough egregious ones to lay blame on that.

 

[TomPatriot]

this was such a poorly called game that i eventually stopped watching.

Like the look at a steeler? that's a pass interference

Tackle a patriot before the ball gets there? no flag.

There was a homefield bias last night so i hope that ref group isn't part of the playoffs.

John Parry was the referee, so it's his crew you don't really want to get.

 

[Dorito Dink]

In what world is that a defensive hold on Malcom Brown, on a run play, no less? Seriously, what did he do there? There is absolutely nothing there and definitely not egregious enough for the official to make a call on a penalty that is probably called 3 times all year. That's just an official looking to throw a flag and that is deeply concerning.

I will reiterate, the Pats did NOT deserve to win the game, but the timing of those holding calls, and the randomness of some of the other ones (case in point, defensive holding above), should be enough to call into question the legitimacy of the officiating yesterday. It's seriously troubling.

 

[captain stone]

Penalties yesterday were drive killers.. not sure how many happened near or in the red zone, but it seemed like quite a few... find it hard to believe there would be such a differential, not assuming a conspiracy, but it seems quite odd that of the 18 penalties called 14 were against the Pats...

I did not see the game as all that "even" till I saw the box score.. 8 yards differential in yards gained and about a minute and a half in time of possession..

Then there were the dropped passes...

...and also the passes that should've been made to WIDE FECKIN OPEN receivers, but weren't...

2 penalties probably cost us the game all by themselves:

Holding on Trent Brown during the 2nd quarter that negated a Sony Michel run to Sh!tsdirt's 31; that's a 48-yard FG attempt if no other yards whatsoever are gained during the subsequent series.

And of course the holding penalty on Cannon that turned 2nd/goal at the 3 to 1st/goal at the 15, and then to Yet Another Brady Blunder.

 

[TomPatriot]

Five of the Pats penalties were on false starts, which are pretty cut and dry (and make sense that it would be lopsided against the road team). Take those away, and there's still a discrepancy, but it's not nearly as jarring. I don't think all the calls were the right ones, but I don't think there were enough egregious ones to lay blame on that.

I agree that the false start/offside calls are just that. I'm not even contesting the PI calls. But there were five holding calls against the Pats and one against the Steelers. That's a net loss of at least 40 yards and probably much more if you count the gains that were reversed by the calls.

 

[reflexblue]

The reffs could call penalties on every play, yesterday and for the last 4-5 weeks they've chosen to call the vast majority on the patriots. Yesterday was the latest example, 14 against the pats to 3 against the steelers. They can't tell me that the pats are that bad and that the steelers play that cleanly.

 

[TomPatriot]

The reffs could call penalties on every play, yesterday and for the last 4-5 weeks they've chosen to call the vast majority on the patriots. Yesterday was the latest example.

It's odd that the League tells the officials to call more holding penalties and almost all of those calls go against the Pats.

 

[Wordsmyth]

Squealers/Zebras 17
Pats 10

 

[reflexblue]

It's odd that the League tells the officials to call more holding penalties and almost all of those calls go against the Pats.

The league aka godell

 

[Nehalem]

In what world is that a defensive hold on Malcom Brown, on a run play, no less?

That makes 3 defensive holding calls on run plays in the last 2 years against the Pats I can recall.

Can anyone remember a defensive holding call on a run against another team ever?

 

[borg]

I agree that the false start/offside calls are just that. I'm not even contesting the PI calls. But there were five holding calls against the Pats and one against the Steelers. That's a net loss of at least 40 yards and probably much more if you count the gains that were reversed by the calls.

If the Pats could pressure Big Ben, then maybe their O linemen might need to hold....but...as we have watched for the past several years, NE's front 4 likes to lock up with their counterpart and look busy. Don't need to hold when there is no legit threat.

Pitt had a legit pass threat, thus the lopsided statistics.

That being said, Cannon's last penalty was BS.

 

[Ring 6]

Penalties yesterday were drive killers.. not sure how many happened near or in the red zone, but it seemed like quite a few... find it hard to believe there would be such a differential, not assuming a conspiracy, but it seems quite odd that of the 18 penalties called 14 were against the Pats...

I did not see the game as all that "even" till I saw the box score.. 8 yards differential in yards gained and about a minute and a half in time of possession..

Then there were the dropped passes...

The majority of the offense being stopped was penalties and drops.

 

[Ring 6]

If the Pats could pressure Big Ben, then maybe their O linemen might need to hold....but...as we have watched for the past several years, NE's front 4 likes to lock up with their counterpart and look busy. Don't need to hold when there is no legit threat.

Pitt had a legit pass threat, thus the lopsided statistics.

That being said, Cannon's last penalty was BS.

Umm no.

 

[Ring 6]

The reffs could call penalties on every play, yesterday and for the last 4-5 weeks they've chosen to call the vast majority on the patriots. Yesterday was the latest example.

At the most critical times.

 

[TomPatriot]

That makes 3 defensive holding calls on run plays in the last 2 years against the Pats I can recall.

Can anyone remember a defensive holding call on a run against another team ever?

I have seen it called before but it is rare.