The New York Jets were called for a costly roughing the passer penalty during their loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and head coach Robert Saleh has made his thoughts on the play clear.
Dallas was leading 10-7 and had 3rd-and-goal at the New York 13-yard line with 2 minutes remaining in the first half. It looked like the Jets came away with a crucial stop when they forced Dak Prescott to throw an incomplete pass. However, the Cowboys were given a fresh set of downs when Jets defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers was flagged for roughing the passer because of a low hit on Prescott.
Franklin-Myers appeared to initiate contact with Prescott’s hip, not the knee area. You can see the video here.
Saleh told reporters on Wednesday that he is waiting to hear back from the NFL for clarification on the play. He, like many others, believes the hit was legal.
Robert Saleh said he has a conference call at 2pm with the league to discuss the penalty on JFM:
"There's nothing I can coach to make that differently, because he got pulled down, his face still hit the hip above the knee, which is still legal, so everything about it was legal."…
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) September 20, 2023
“There’s nothing I can coach to make that differently, because he got pulled down, his face still hit the hip above the knee, which is still legal, so everything about it was legal,” Saleh said.
The NFL will likely point to the league’s roughing the passer rules, which state that a defender “is prohibited from forcibly hitting in the knee area or below a passer who has one or both feet on the ground, even if the initial contact is above the knee.” The last part basically makes it a judgment call from the official.
Dallas went on to score a touchdown after the penalty and tack on a 2-point conversation to take a 18-7 lead, so the call was significant.
There was talk that the NFL might make a big change regarding roughing the passer during the offseason, but the rule did not pass. It may have helped Saleh and the Jets in that situation.
