Week 9 was full of upsets, surprises, and head scratching calls.
For example, the god awful Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Buffalo Bills and the mediocre Broncos stomped the dominant Cowboys.
But it was this chippy penalty in the Sunday Night Football matchup that is making headlines and it represents everything wrong with the NFL today.
Aaron Donald was flagged for barely touching Ryan Tannehill as he was going out of bounds on the 3rd down play.
By all accounts, this was a great defensive play, holding the Titans to a 4th down on the crucial drive. Until the yellow flag came out.
Donald got called for roughing the passer. 15 yards, automatic first down. A death sentence for the trailing Rams.
This call had Donald and his head Coach Sean McVay absolutely pissed, and it should.
But to anybody who has followed the National Football League as of late, this chippy call should be no surprise.
This penalty is nothing more than the continuation of a trend of protecting the quarterback, even if he is not tackled.
The NFL should be renamed the National Pillow Fight League after the wussification we have seen over the past decade or so.
One should never forget this call on Clay Matthews where he was flagged for tackling the quarterback . . . while he still had the ball.
Can you think of anybody who likes to see calls like that?
It ruins the sport, and it protects almost nobody.
It is also hard to feel bad for these quarterbacks who are more often than not making many millions of dollars to play a game.
If the NFL does not patch this nonsense up, then their already shrinking fan base may shrivel up completely like the pair they used to have.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
