Was Richard Sherman invisible to the refs on Monday night?
After not being flagged for an obvious ‘roughing the kicker’ penalty at the end of the first half when Seattle took on Buffalo on MNF, the Seahawks cornerback got away with a blatant pass interference call on the last play of the game on the near side of the field. (Sherman is positioned to the bottom right of the frame)
#BUFvsSEA what is the referee watching if he’s not watching Richard Sherman maul a guy right in front of him pic.twitter.com/oF0zsC9LYh
— NFL west (@NinertalkCa) November 8, 2016
Sherman is allowed to knock a receiver on his back all he wants within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. He was just a tad (12 yards) too late.
Wonder why this guy wasn’t open pic.twitter.com/kBjkBl86KU
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 8, 2016
The NFL rulebook though does negate that rule once the quarterback “leaves the pocket area,” which Bills QB Tyrod Taylor appears to have done when Sherman delivered the hit. Unnecessary roughness could have been called on the play based on what the officials have been calling such this season.