- Questionable roughing-the-passer calls have dominated conversations around NFL Week 5.
- Eli Manning told Insider that the calls are tough to make and may require replay review.
Former NFL quarterback Eli Manning is just as confused by roughing-the-passer calls as the rest of the sports world.
Two questionable flags on consecutive days have become the dominant storyline in the NFL this week.
On Sunday, Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett appeared to come up with a pivotal, fourth-quarter sack on Tom Brady on third down. Though it looked like a routine hit, Jarrett was called for roughing-the-passer, awarding the Buccaneers a first down and extra 15 yards that helped them seal the win.
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On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones was called for roughing the passer on a sack-strip against Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. The call was especially egregious because Jones had forced the ball loose before they went to the ground, and appeared to use his arms to try to brace himself from landing on Carr with full force. The Raiders kept possession and ended up kicking a field goal shortly before halftime.
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Speaking to Insider on Tuesday to promote his partnership with Quaker Oats and Quaker's Hunger Clock food insecurity initiative, Manning suggested replay may be the only way to solve the problem.
"The driving-in or the excessive hit, it's hard to judge," Manning said. "It's hard for a ref to kind of know, 'Hey, was this on purpose? [What] was the intent? Was this just a tackle?'
"It's hard for the players. They're just — they're trying, they see the ball, they're trying to get to a sack, they're excited, they're just trying to, you know, wrap up.
"And so I think it is hard to judge what should be declared a personal foul or not. And so, you know, whether replay could help that or not — if it can, I think it's worth looking into because it becomes such a huge play."
Manning equated a roughing-the-passer call to a turnover, saying what would have likely been a sack turns into a first down, an additional 15 yards for the offense, and a more likely opportunity to score.
Speaking to reporters after the Chiefs beat the Raiders, 30-29, Jones also called for replay reviews, saying "looks can be deceiving."
"Roughing the passers, they've done put such an emphasis on it that we gotta be able to view it in the booth now," Jones said. "I think that's the next step ... That if we're going to continue to call roughing-the-passers at that high of a velocity, then we gotta be able to view it in the booth to make sure. Because sometimes looks can be deceiving, you know what I mean? From the ref's point of view, it probably looked like [roughing the passer] initially, but when you look at the replay it's a whole different thing."
Manning told Insider that he thinks roughing-the-passer calls are likely down this year because defenders have largely adjusted to rules protecting the quarterback. Indeed, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that roughing-the-passer calls are down 45% this year compared to 2021.
Still, NFL defenders have expressed frustration about their ability to do their jobs with such strict rules.
ESPN's Ed Werder reported on Tuesday that the NFL's competition committee will review how roughing-the-passer is officiated.
In the meantime, more confusion is likely to follow.
"I'm not positive how you fix it," Manning said.