GLENDALE, Ariz. – Trailing the Cardinals 16-3 in the third quarter at State Farm Stadium, it looked like the Patriots finally had the spark they needed to get back into the ball game.
Kyler Murray crawled out of the pocket and made an ill-advised throw, sending a football into the arms of Jonathan Jones. It looked like an interception that would have set up New England’s offense at the Cardinals’ 18-yard line, but Anfernee Jennings was flagged for screwing up the pass.
As Murray approached the line of scrimmage, Jennings had already committed to a hit, and then the quarterback caught his head in a snap. The penalty flag erased the interception, but it appeared there was nothing Jennings could do to avoid the contact. After Arizona’s 30-17 win, referee Ron Torbert stood by his crew’s decision to throw the flag and explained the thought process.
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Here is the group’s full report conducted with PFWA representative Mike Reiss:
Question: What did you see on the field that led to the flag for fouling the pass (third quarter, 3rd and 6, Arizona 8-yard line).
Torbert: “The flag came from the referee’s position. The ref saw a hit on the quarterback’s helmet just after he threw the ball.”
Question: How does the quarterback stepping up as a runner while approaching the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball affect the protection provided to the quarterback under the passer rule?
Torbert: “It doesn’t affect the protection he gets from helmet-to-force hits. Even though he’s shuffling and working the pocket, he still has the same helmet-force-to-hit protection that he would have if he was in the pocket.”
Question: If in a situation like this, perhaps a quarterback lowers his head after throwing the ball before the defense has made contact, how would that affect the protection of the quarterbacks under the passer rule?
Torbert: “As a rule, this action does not affect the protection you receive from forced hits to the helmet. We should see this action if it happens. This in itself does not change the protection you receive from forced hits to the helmet. “
Question: For a defensive player wondering what he should do to avoid being penalized in this situation, is the answer as simple as no forced helmet contact?
Torbert: “In this particular situation, considering that this is what we called it, this would be the answer. That’s the reason the flag was thrown, because of the forced contact with the quarterback’s head and neck area.”