Lamar Jackson was the victim of an extremely late hit while scrambling out of bounds during the first half against the Buffalo Bills, yet despite the seemingly obvious nature of the penalty, officials kept their flags in their pockets.
Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver wrestled Jackson down, but didn’t finish the tackle until Jackson was approaching the bench. Despite how far off the field the Baltimore Ravens quarterback was when he was eventually brought down, refs didn’t deem it to be an illegal move from Oliver.
That didn’t sit well with Tony Romo and Jim Nantz in the broadcast booth, both of whom seemed to think that a late hit was in order. Rules analyst Gene Steratore suggested that Oliver starting his tackle while on the field was the reason the referees decided against throwing a flag.
“I see Oliver that grabs him right before he’s out of bounds… They’re allowing him to finish the tackle there, as opposed to a hit that happens or is initiated after he’s out of bounds.” – Gene Steratore
“I feel like that was late.” – Tony Romo
“I do too.” – Jim Nantz #NFL pic.twitter.com/MlD92LefHI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 20, 2025
NFL fans weren’t happy with the lack of a penalty flag on the hit from Oliver. Many disgruntled fans felt that if Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the one running with the ball, flags would certainly have been thrown.
