NFL 'unlikely' to allow review for roughing the passer penalties

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones. Jay Biggerstaff -USA TODAY Sports

NFL reportedly 'unlikely' to allow video review for roughing the passer penalties

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 10/11/22

The number of roughing the passer penalties called during the ongoing NFL season has dropped dramatically from the same point of the 2021 campaign. Nevertheless, some are hoping that the league will eventually allow for video reviews of such decisions following a pair of controversial roughing calls made in Week 5.

Those individuals will probably be left disappointed.

Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reported Tuesday that it is "unlikely" the NFL will embrace video reviews of roughing calls during or after the current season. Maaddi notes the league doesn't want a replay of what occurred when it made pass interference reviewable for a single campaign after the NFC Championship in January 2019:

Maaddi wrote making pass interference reviewable "failed miserably," while Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio argued doing so "was a failure of execution by the league, however, not a failure of concept."

Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett and Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs were victims of highly-questioned roughing the passer penalties over consecutive days, and ESPN's Adam Teicher noted that Jones said after the "Monday Night Football" win over the Las Vegas Raiders that teams should be able to request reviews for such calls. Kevin Seifert of ESPN wrote on Tuesday that "NFL owners generally have been opposed to making subjective judgment calls part of replay review," and Maaddi's report seems to back that take.

Maaddi added the league's enforcement of roughing guidelines will be discussed when club owners meet in New York next week. However, the NFL isn't expected to adopt any rule changes regarding roughing the passer before the current season ends with Super Bowl LVII in February.

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