Officials call questionable roughing the passer penalty to extend Raiders drive

The endless amount of roughing the passer penalties called in the National Football League continue to be a point of controversy. On Sunday Night Football in the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers game, officials called a hit by Steelers’ safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on Raiders’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, roughing the passer. The questionable penalty extended the Raiders’ drive, and they scored a touchdown off it.

Checked out the play below.

The Raiders are within 8 points of the Steelers. This roughing the passer penalty on Steelers DB Minkah Fitzpatrick helped Vegas' drive. pic.twitter.com/OFd6iTOPDY

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 25, 2023

SNF Rules Analyst Terry McAulay shared his thoughts on the call by officials

Sunday Night Football’s Rules Analyst Terry McAulay did not agree with the call.

He chimed in with his thoughts on the questionable penalty called by officials. “As I said before, yeah, there is some (contact) but it has to be forcible. The shoulder took most of it and it was really more glancing than anything else,” McAulay said.

It was a play that definitely helped to swing the momentum in favor of the Raiders.

Luckily for officials, the Steelers came out on top in a close one, 23-18. There would have been plenty of outrage among the Pittsburgh fan base had they not, and who could blame them?

Officials didn’t decide the outcome of the game, but certainly came close to changing the complexion of it.

Mistakes will always happen from officials. That’s understandable. But the National Football League has become extra protective of the quarterbacks in the past few seasons.

Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt had two sacks, two tackles for loss, and six total pressures on the night. He’s playing like the superstar he’s been the past few years in the National Football League. He now has six sacks on the 2023 campaign.

Steelers’ corner Levi Wallace had two interceptions on Sunday, including the game-clinching interception in the final seconds.

The Pittsburgh defense once again put together a dominant performance, forcing three turnovers. Those were critical in leading them to the win, much like their victory last weekend over their rivals, the Cleveland Browns.

Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 16 of 28 passes for 235 passing yards, while tossing in two touchdowns. One was a beautiful 72-yard strike to Calvin Austin III. Pickett hit Austin perfectly in stride deep down the middle of the field. The touchdown catch was the first of Austin’s young NFL career.

Pittsburgh now moves to 2-1 overall on the 2023 season. Up next, they’ll face the Houston Texans. That one will be played on Sunday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST.