NFL fans slam referees for "atrocious" penalty call on Bills during MNF game vs Jets  - "Worst I've seen all year"

The referees were again the center of attention during the Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season. Aaron Rodgers was sacked by A.J. Epenesa during the second half in what looked to be a textbook defensive play.

But the zebras disagreed and called it as a roughing-the-passer penalty. The rationale was that the Bills defender had not stopped his body weight from falling on the Jets quarterback. When seeing the replay, it was clear that Epenesa was trying to strip the ball from Aaron Rodgers rather than trying to fall on top.

But the referees did not see it that way. Therefore, instead of a fourth down all the way back that would have forced a punt, the Jets got an automatic first down. That drive later led to a field goal that allowed them to tie the Bills and make the score 20-20.

Fans were immediately furious and took to X/Twitter to express their displeasure. Here are some of the reactions.

Others called it the worst call not just this season, but of the entire NFL history. Here are some other responses.

"This is it. The worst roughing the passer call in NFL history," one fan said.

"That’s gotta be the worst roughing the passer call of all time," added another.

"This might be the worst Roughing the Passer call ever," one fan commented.

Richard Sherman blasts referees for inconsistent calls during MNF Bills vs. Jets game

Casual fans were not the only ones slamming the referees for their performance in this game between the Bills and the Jets. Former defensive back Richard Sherman also added his thoughts, saying that he believed the zebras were favoring the Buffalo over New York in terms of the pass interference calls that they were giving out. While acknowledging that the roughing call was soft, the Super Bowl-winning cornerback said:

"These refs are bias tonight. I don’t use that lightly but it’s apparent. These aren’t my teams but these calls don’t make sense. I see similar contact from buffalo DBs and nothing being called... I’m watching them call the most bs P.I. Calls this entire game. Not on the Bills but for the bills. Bills have a gripe about a roughing call that’s about it"

By the end of the fourth quarter, both had more than 200 yards in terms of penalties accepted, which is the most during any game this season. That was as much an indictment of the two teams as it was of the referees.