It appears like offensive offsides penalties are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
It was formerly a violation that was rarely, if ever, called, but now it has obviously become a point of attention for the referees of the National Football League. On Saturday, during the game between the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos, this concept was put on full show.
It was late in the third quarter when the officials decided that Quinn Meinerz, an offensive lineman for the Broncos, was offsides. As a result, fullback Michael Burton’s score on fourth down, which was gained by one yard, was nullified.
After everything was said and done, Denver was forced to settle for a field goal; nevertheless, replays revealed nothing out of the ordinary, which caused a commotion throughout the NFL community.
Additionally, the series of events infuriated Sean Payton, the head coach of the Broncos, who was furious with the officials and with Russell Wilson, his quarterback during the game.
It is not the first time, nor does it appear to be the last time, that the Broncos have been subjected to the wrath of an offensive offside call. With that being said, the timing of the most recent signal that raises questions is intriguing.
The National Football League (NFL) made a decision to fire Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes just a few hours before the game between the Broncos and the Lions.
After receiving an offensive offsides penalty in Week 14, which resulted in them losing a game against the Buffalo Bills, the NFL punished them with a fine of $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, for openly criticizing officials related to the incident. Nevertheless, this is where the NFL’s ever-increasing problem resides.
It was evident that wide receiver Kadarius Toney was lining up offsides during the play in issue, which means that the play did not deserve the uproar from Reid and Mahomes.
Nevertheless, when one watches the call that was made on Saturday, it is difficult to comprehend what the referees were seeing and the reasons that they chose to throw the flag.
The referees are not flawless, but the inconsistency that surrounds a penalty that is already controversial will eventually become a source of frustration for more teams than just the Chiefs and the Broncos.
It would be prudent for the National Football League, which is all too familiar with rule confusion, to find a solution to the problems that have been occurring with the offsides penalty before it spirals out of control and causes a team to lose a playoff game or even worse.