Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney said the roughing-the-passer flags are not fair. He believes it is costing Green Bay games, following Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions.
The Packers entered the game with six such penalties against them and none against their opponents, and the count reached 8-0 in Detroit. Brenton Cox was flagged for shoving Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the midsection with about four minutes left in the third quarter. Defensive tackle Karl Brooks was called for hitting Goff right after a pass with less than three minutes to play.
Thanks for the submission!
“It is what it is, man,” McKinney said. “They will fine you for anything in this league, so that’s what I know. I would rather get fined and try to help my team out because I see what’s going on and it’s killing us. It really don’t matter if it’s home or away. It’s kind of been consistent throughout the year.
•
“I don’t know how the NFL’s going to treat it, but I’m not a big fan of the refs right now. I don’t think it’s great officiating, if I’m being completely honest. I think it’s BS a lot of the times. I think there are drives where they make calls that don’t even make any sense.”
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
He said that Green Bay’s quarterback and offensive players do not get the same calls as opponents:
“Obviously, it’s not to make it as an excuse, but I just say it’s got to go both ways, man.”
McKinney said the flags come at critical moments, stall drives and drain momentum. The defeat ended a three-game winning streak and dropped the Packers (4-3) to last place in the NFC North.
Packers dealt with more than penalties
The call Xavier McKinney cited as his example had come midway through the third quarter. On second-and-11, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown kept running after Isaiah McDuffie took him down. Devonte Wyatt tackled him again, and St. Brown tripped umpire Terry Killens Jr., who flagged Wyatt for unnecessary roughness. Instead of facing third-and-7, Detroit got a first down and scored the go-ahead touchdown two plays later.
“We ruled that the play was over,” referee Alex Moore said in a pool report. He added that he could not say whether a whistle sounded.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur also got heated with officials during the game. Afterward, he acknowledged “some tough calls” but said his team needed to rise above them.
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
