Roughing-The-Passer Calls Prompt Scrutiny

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A controversial roughing-the-passer penalty just before halftime of the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night delivered another blow to the NFL and its beleaguered officiating crew. The Chiefs had just scored to trim their deficit to 17-7 just before halftime when Chris Jones stripped Derek Carr from behind. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle landed on the Raiders quarterback while also coming away with the ball, and replays showed it was clearly loose and that Jones clearly recovered, but referee Carl Cheffers threw a flag for roughing the passer. The call came one day after referee Jerome Boger was panned for a roughing call on Tom Brady that helped the Buccaneers seal their win over Atlanta.