Raheem Morris, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, expressed indignation with regard to an important play from their most recent game. This specific game was against the New England Patriots. During the fourth quarter, with the Falcons trailing 24-23 and just 2:09 remaining on the clock, a defensive tactic by the Patriots led to an intentional grounding penalty against Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
The whole incident ignited at the Patriots’ 48-yard line. Starting center Ryan Neuzil botched the snap on second down, totally surprising Penix and his offensive line in the process. The bad snap caused an intentional grounding penalty on Penix. This error set the offense back 10 yards and lost them their down, effectively killing their ability to score.
Morris highlighted that the Patriots’ defense utilized a clapping signal that simulated the Falcons’ own snap count. He stated, “They were clapping and simulated our snap,” indicating that this tactic contributed to the confusion on the field.
Penix too discussed the incident, explaining that he thought far side official Neuzil had mistaken claps as Penix’s signal. “Whenever I’m clapping, that means I want the ball, and [Neuzil] said he heard them clapping [and] he thought it was my clapping,” Penix explained.
As the play developed, the Falcons were put in a difficult position. After the grounding call, they were in a very tough third-and-20. On the subsequent play, Penix looked to throw deep to wide receiver David Sills V. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make that throw. The Falcons were immediately forced to punt on the possession following, all but sealing their fate as one of the two teams in this game.
The controversy around the penalty brings to light an important but often overlooked rule in the NFL about disconcerting signals. Unnecessary roughness for a defense imitating an offense’s what would be a snap count or a snap is a 15-yard-dow penalty. After all that, defensive tackle Milton Williams argued that he never even heard clapping at that critical juncture. “I ain’t hear no clap,” he stated.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, with the Falcons down seven and in Bills territory, Smith had a chance to make things more interesting. Kicker Parker Romo’s lone miss was an extra point following an 8-yard Penix touchdown pass. The pass ended up going wide of the intended catcher, wide receiver Drake London. This key opportunity lost perhaps contributed to their eventual demise.
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