Matthews draws another controversial flag for roughing the passer
Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews received his third flag for roughing the passer in three weeks thanks to another controversial call Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
This is a foul for roughing the passer - the defender lands “with all or most of the defender’s weight” on the passer. Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9(b): https://t.co/s9YKN8NLuT #GBvsWAS pic.twitter.com/ei2QZkvvzx
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) September 23, 2018
Matthews, whose penalty last week cost the Packers a win over the Minnesota Vikings, was flagged for a seemingly normal tackle once again - this time against the Redskins' Alex Smith.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy was irate over the penalty, which gave Washington a free first down.
After the Clay Matthews' roughing the passer call for the 3rd week in a row.#Packers coach Mike McCarthy lost it and went after the ref [no contact though]pic.twitter.com/ENqhknk7JW
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 23, 2018
Unlike last week's flag, this one didn't lead to any points for the opposition.
Matthews took a costly penalty for roughing the passer in Week 1, giving the Chicago Bears an extra chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. He admitted guilt last week over his play against the Bears, but was baffled and frustrated by the flag for his hit on the Vikings' Kirk Cousins.