GLENDALE, Ariz. — Trailing the Cardinals 16-3 in the third quarter at State Farm Stadium, it looked like the Patriots finally had the spark they needed to get back into the ballgame.
Kyler Murray was flushed from the pocket and made an ill-advised throw, shotputting a football into the arms of Jonathan Jones. It looked like an interception that would have set New England’s offense up at the Cardinals’ 18-yard line, but Anfernee Jennings was flagged for roughing the passer.
As Murray approached the line of scrimmage, Jennings had already committed to a hit, then the quarterback ducked his head into a glancing blow. The penalty flag wiped the interception out, but it looked like there was nothing Jennings could do to prevent the contact. After Arizona’s 30-17 win, referee Ron Torbert stood by his crew’s decision to throw the flag and explained the thought process.
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Here’s the full pool report conducted with PFWA representative Mike Reiss:
Question: What did you see on the field that led to the flag for roughing the passer (third quarter, 3rd-and-6, Arizona 8-yard line).
Torbert: “The flag came from the umpire’s position. The umpire saw a hit to the quarterback’s helmet just after he had thrown the ball.”
Question: How does the quarterback scrambling as a runner as he approaches the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball affect the protection provided to the quarterback under the roughing the passer rule?
Torbert: “This does not impact the protection that he gets from forcible hits to the helmet. Although he is scrambling and working the pocket, he still gets the same protection from forcible hits to the helmet that he would if he were standing in the pocket.”
Question: If in a situation like that, a quarterback maybe lowers his head after throwing the ball before contact was made by the defense, how would that affect the protection to quarterbacks under the roughing the passer rule?
Torbert: “By rule, that action does not impact the protection that he gets from forcible hits to the helmet. We would have to see that action if it happens. That in itself does not change the protection that he gets from forcible hits to the helmet. “
Question: For a defensive player who would ask what he would have to do to not be penalized in that situation, is the answer as simple as there cannot be forcible contact to the helmet?
Torbert: “In that particular situation, given that’s what we called, that would be the answer. That is the reason that the flag was thrown, because of the forcible contact to the quarterback’s head and neck area.”
