A New England Patriots player may have thrown off the Atlanta Falcons by clapping on a key play late in Sunday’s game between the two teams, but it did not look like gamesmanship was the intent.
The Falcons were trailing 24-23 and had possession at around midfield late in the fourth quarter of their Week 9 loss at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Center Ryan Neuzil snapped the ball to Michael Penix Jr. on 2nd-and-10 before the quarterback was ready, which led to some confusion. Penix then threw the ball into the turf and was called for intentional grounding.
The penalty backed the Falcons up 10 yards and resulted in a loss of down. Penix then threw an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-20. Atlanta punted and the Patriots picked up a crucial first down to seal the win.
After the game, Neuzil and Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said the center snapped the ball prematurely because one or more Patriots players had clapped to simulate Atlanta’s snap. Replays showed that there were no players clapping near the line of scrimmage on the New England side, but the All-22 footage might reveal what the Falcons were referring to.
Just before the ball was snapped, a Falcons player went in motion. Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins immediately turned to cornerback Carlton Davis to alert his teammate to the motion. In doing so, Hawkins clapped his hands.
I FOUND THE MF THAT WAS CLAPPING
— AVY3N (@avy3n) November 3, 2025
IT WAS JAYLINN HAWKINS, LOOK AT THE SAFETY AT THE TOP pic.twitter.com/m9XwLON3Js
A defensive player clapping to simulate the offense’s snap would fall under the umbrella of “disconcerting signals,” which are prohibited by NFL rules. An act like that is supposed to result in a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
It is unlikely that any official would look at what Hawkins did and deem that it was a foul. For starters, Hawkins was nowhere near the line of scrimmage. Neuzil should have been able to tell the difference between his quarterback clapping for the ball and a player clapping a full 15 yards away from him. Hawkins also clearly was not trying to simulate the snap, even if intent is not explicitly written into the “disconcerting signals” rules.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel issued a response to the accusations from the Falcons on Monday.
