After Further Review: Jets-Browns

by Site Admin

By popular demand, we're again going to have a post after each game that breaks down some of the controversial decisions from the officiating crew in the game.

Penalty Count

Browns 10-78 (leading to three Jets first downs)

Jets 7-61 (leading to five Browns first downs)

Note: This does not include penalties that are declined or off-set.

Plays where the call was obvious, uncontroversial or not visible on broadcast footage

Jets Penalties

  • Azareye'h Thomas pass interference downfield on deep throw. Had a bit of a grab at the top of the route as he looked to turn and locate the ball.
  • Jarvis Brownlee defensive holding. This looked a bit soft as there wasn't much of an obvious grab.
  • Joe Tippmann false start. Went a hair early but players will often go earlier than this and get away with it.
  • Josh Myers false start. Hesitated and double-clutched on the snap.
  • Brownlee defensive holding to add yardage at the end of a scramble. Grabbed Cedric Tillman around the waist.
  • Jamien Sherwood defensive holding. This happened off-screen.

Browns Penalties

  • Cam Robinson holding on Jermaine Johnson. Grabbed him and prevented him from getting outside as the runner cut back and bounced it off the edge.
  • Tre Avery holding on Isaiah Williams' touchdown return. Grabbed Ja'Sir Taylor's arm over by the sideline to drag him out of the way.
  • Harold Fannin Jr. false start. Flinched.
  • Wyatt Teller false start. Flinched.
  • Personal foul on Adin Huntington. Comically dived and belly-flopped onto the pile after a kickoff return.
  • Delay of game on 3rd-and-18.
  • Maliek Collins offside. Went early although he tried to claim he was drawn off by a false start. No flinches from Jets players were perceptible.
  • Defensive holding on Devin Bush. Grabbed Jeremy Ruckert as the Jets had Justin Fields rolling out to look to pass.
  • Cameron Thomas offside. Drawn off by the hard count and Armand Membou moved before he could get back onside.

Penalties warranting further discussion or explanation

Jets Penalties

  • Pass interference on Brownlee. Although this was a late flag, only thrown after Jerry Jeudy complained, it seemed like the right call. The reason why it was pass interference and not illegal contact was because there was a grab while the ball was in the air.

Browns Penalties

  • Carson Schwesinger late hit on Fields. A bit harsh as the player seemed to try to avoid contact and there was no direct head contact. Also, it was only late because Fields went into a quick slide. These calls can go either way and it's rare for the Jets to be on the right end of one.
  • Jack Conklin tripping on Micheal Clemons. This looked like more of a hold than a trip as Clemons had him beaten so Conklin dragged him down. Clemons then fell over him awkwardly.

Notable no-calls etc

Here were some of the other notable missed calls, replay situations and controversial moments:

  • Cedric Tillman's diving one-handed catch attempt was originally ruled as a catch on the field but they corrected this as replays showed it wasn't close and had basically hit the ground before he controlled it. This was the Thomas pass interference anyway.
  • Will McDonald was held on the Jet Sweep where he got upfield so Malachi Corley cut back and went upfield. The lineman grabbed his outside arm.
  • The blocking was excellent on the Kene Nwangwu touchdown, although Qwan'tez Stiggers was pretty close to a hold that could have negated it.
  • When the kickoff was muffed in the field of play and rolled into the end zone, the Browns player took a knee for a touchback. In a game between the Giants and Cowboys in the late eighties the same thing happened and it was incorrectly ruled as a safety. In order to prevent kicks that are going to land short of the goal line from being "accidentally" batted into the end zone, the current rule here is that it counts as if the ball bounced in the landing zone and so this touchback only moved the ball out to the 20 instead of the 35.
  • A roughing the passer call on Mason Graham was picked up. It looked like the initial contact was at the chest level and then if the face masks collided it came about because a lineman shoved Graham into Fields. The no-call looks right here.
  • Stiggers seemed to be held on one punt where he was the gunner.
  • Jerry Jeudy wanted a flag on an underneath pass on 3rd-and-long. This looked him a good no call as Brownlee reached across him briefly but did not impede his progress.

Let us know what we missed - or misinterpreted - in the comments...