Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant was singled out for unnecessary rudeness on Bills quarterback Josh Allen during the third quarter of the Patriots vs. Bills on “Monday Night Football.” Several objective observers disagreed with this sanction.
Allen was trying to run for a first down, and Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley seemed to throw Allen off balance. Allen then began jumping out of bounds; while in the air, Bryant pushed him further out of bounds. In the replay video, it appears that Allen was still on the playing field when Bryant pushed him. However, officials unnecessarily sanctioned Bryant with a rude sanction.
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Repeat of Bryant’s personal foul on Allen#Patriots eleven #Bills 7 Q3 pic.twitter.com/nFqVzoz06R
– Sports 24/7 (@ Sports24x7_) December 7, 2023
The penalty gave the Bills an automatic first down and a 15-yard gain. This series ended on a field goal, putting the score at 11-10 with the Patriots still ahead.
Viewers were surprised by the call from the referees, including Manningcast guest Aqib Talib. He openly admitted to disagreeing with the call while speaking to Peyton and Eli Manning on their ESPN2 broadcast.
“That is not a flag,” Talib said. during transmission. “However, you don’t want to waste 15 yards without pushing. You have to make that 15-yard flag pay off.”
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The Official Rules of the NFLHe does, however, explain that the umpires called it unnecessary harshness because that is what they are supposed to do when in doubt. In the section of the rule book on “forcibly contacting a runner when out of bounds,” the rule book states that “defensive players must make an effort to avoid contact. Players on defense are responsible for knowing when a runner has crossed the boundary line, except in doubtful cases where he could step on a boundary line and continue parallel to it “.
An additional note on this rule states: “When in doubt about a rude call or potentially dangerous tactics, coverage officers should always call in unnecessary rudeness.”
Even with the official rules, fans still expressed their frustration over the penalty through tweets. Here are some reactions to the Monday night call.
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That p / f about Myles Bryant for pushing Josh Allen out of bounds was way beyond the bounds of a “bad decision.”
It was a cartoon, like a movie that simulated the stupid stupidity of the NFL. Play hard soccer. But near the margin it turns tiddly winks on the glass tables. Randomly called
– NFL Strategy (@NFL_Strategy) December 7, 2023
Fake call to Myles Bryant. Completely false.
– Trey Daerr (@TreyDaerr) December 7, 2023
Myles Bryant just received a personal foul penalty for pushing Josh Allen while in bounds. I guess I should have seen him get first
– Dan Shea (@ DanShea775) December 7, 2023
Fairly weak penalty against Myles Bryant. He barely touched Allen
– Ben Volin (@BenVolin) December 7, 2023