Another questionable roughing the passer penalty left the commentary booth baffled and football fans

As the Miami Dolphins attempted to come back against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, linebacker Jaelen Phillips thought he had made a play. Phillips tore through the Chargers line to meet quarterback Justin Herbert in the backfield and put him into the ground for a sack. The tackle meant the Chargers would be

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  • Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips appeared to sack Justin Herbert on Sunday night.
  • Despite what looked like a clean hit, Phillips was flagged for roughing the passer, leaving the commentary booth and fans on Twitter frustrated.
  • It's not the first bad roughing the passer call the NFL has seen this year.

As the Miami Dolphins attempted to come back against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, linebacker Jaelen Phillips thought he had made a play.

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Phillips tore through the Chargers line to meet quarterback Justin Herbert in the backfield and put him into the ground for a sack. The tackle meant the Chargers would be punting from deep inside their own territory.

But just as color commentator Cris Collinsworth finished complimenting Phillips on a great play, a late flag was thrown. Phillips had been called for roughing the passer.

—Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 12, 2022

The booth was stunned. Play-by-play man Mike Tirico brought in rules analyst Terry McAuley and asked if the flag was due to "body weight," referencing a new wrinkle to the roughing the passer rule that asks defenders to do what they can to avoid landing on the quarterback with their full body weight.

"Yeah that's what they called. I just don't see this as most or all his bodyweight," McAuley told the booth. "This is a normal tackle. I don't see how this should be a foul."

"That's terrible," Collinsworth agreed. "You can see him put his hands down to try and not land on him. That's terrible."

Replays showed Phillips appeared to be trying to break his fall once he had brought Herbert to the ground.

—SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 12, 2022

On Twitter, fans, analysts, and players alike condemned the flag.

—Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 12, 2022—Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 12, 2022—Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 12, 2022—Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) December 12, 2022—JJ Watt (@JJWatt) December 12, 2022—Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) December 12, 2022

Ultimately, the flag didn't go on to change the course of the game significantly, as the Chargers would be forced to punt the ball on the ensuing series. The Chargers held on to beat the Dolphins 23-17.

The roughing the passer problem has come up several times this season, and it's of particular concern with the playoffs coming up in January. If a roughing the passer call winds up costing a team in the playoffs, it's already clear how football fans are going to react.

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