Controversial blindside block call against Anfernee Jennings doesn't prove costly in slim win for Patriots

The Cardinals weren’t too thrilled following Sunday's 20-17 loss up in Foxborough. 

And to be fair - it's not like you would be either after relinquishing a win to a Patriots team that only managed to accrue 179 total net yards of offense. 

And while a solid portion of that consternation revolved around stalled drives, questionable coaching and Zane Gonzalez's brutal miss on a likely game-clinching, 45-yard field goal with 1:47 left in regulation, the performance of Bill Vinovich's referee crew also drew the ire of many.

An ill-advised hit by Cardinals rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons on Cam Newton gave a listless New England offense new life on its final drive — as Simmons was flagged for a personal foul after knocking the Patriots' signal-caller out of bounds after converting on a 3rd-and-13 situation. The call, tabbed as unnecessary roughness by the officiating crew, tacked on an additional 15 yards after the whistle — bringing New England into Arizona territory.

But the pivotal play (and the subsequent call) was not without its detractors, with Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira tweeting shortly thereafter that there shouldn't have been a foul called — given that Newton was still inbounds and Simmons didn't lead with his helmet.

"I just saw the replay like y'all did," Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said of the call. "Looked like the quarterback was still in play, but I didn't get a great look at it."

A few of the players aired their grievances a bit more strongly, namely Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins:

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In the immediate aftermath of a loss like this, it's only natural for some to point fingers at an officiating crew as the primary reason for a sour end result. But with all due respect to Arizona, they might want to get in line after a game like this — as the Patriots very well could have avoided eking out another nail biter had they not been hampered by another brutal call earlier in the contest.



Strong special-teams play played a major role in New England's victory on Sunday, with a 53-yard kick return from Donte Moncrief and a 58-yard punt return from Gunner Olszewski setting up Patriots drives that resulted in a touchdown score for James White and a 22-yard field goal for Nick Folk, respectively.

But Olszewski's career-long return in the third could have served as a knockout blow against the Cardinals, as the initial play stood as an 82-yard play for the young wideout that ended with him strolling into the end zone for a touchdown. Anfernee Jennings provided the coup de grâce at the end of Olszewski's zig-zagging scramble across the Gillette gridiron, walloping Ezekiel Turner with a heavy block as the linebacker closed in on the returner.

The move gave Olszewski a clear path to the end zone, but what would have been his first career touchdown was quickly negated — as Jennings was flagged for an illegal blindside block on the play — striking the touchdown off the board and pushing New England back another 15 yards.

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Per the NFL rulebook, a blindside block is called: "If a player initiates a block when his path is toward or parallel to his own end line and makes forcible contact to his opponent with his helmet, forearm, or shoulder.”

While this stands as a recent tweak to the rulebook, the play itself likely isn't what drew so much outrage from New England's sideline. Rather, it was likely the interpretation that Vinovich and his crew had of the rule as it pertained to Jennings' positioning. Bill Belichick even went so far as to show still photos of Jennings and Turner to Vinovich and Co. during a timeout, but to no avail.

“It was a block back towards his own end line, with forcible contact," Vinovich said postgame in a pool report.

However, FOX broadcaster Daryl Johnston noted that Jennings was already set at the point of contact just before blasting Turner, delivering a shoulder-to-shoulder hit just as the Cardinals defender was honing in on Olszewski.

So was there anything that Jennings could have done differently there, in the eyes of Vinovich?

“He would either have to shield him or use his hands," he said. 

Again, not really sure what Jennings is going to be allowed to do here, other than let Turner light him up and get trucked in order to keep the defender away from Olszewski. Not sure what using his hands is going to do in a sequence where an NFL linebacker is already in the process of lining up a returner.

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"As far as the call, it's unfortunate. We never make any excuses. I thought he hit him with his shoulder, but I'm not the official," Adam Butler said postgame of the call. "I don't call the game. So at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what I think."

Despite leaving four total points off the board as a result of the call, the Patriots' playoff hopes were not fully dashed by way of Sunday's controversial call. That still doesn't make the resulting headache following the flag any less grating for Belichick and his staff following the victory.

"Disappointing that the punt return got called back, but we'll just have to pull off that a little bit, I guess," Belichick remarked postgame.