Refs gifted the Patriots one of the worst roughing the passer calls in NFL history

KJ Henry should have had his first NFL sack. Instead, the Patriots got a free first down.

Look, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, even if that quarterback is Mac Jones. There are rules in place to protect those passers and keep them healthy. This is, at least in theory, a good thing.

In practice, it leads to immense frustration. Especially if you’re Washington Commanders defensive end KJ Henry. The franchise’s rebuilding mode trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat gave the rookie fifth round pick a chance to shine in Foxborough against the New England Patriots. He stepped up with what should have been his first career sack.

Instead it ended with 15 free yards for the Patriots and a first down because of, uh … well, maybe you could argue that it was a body weight thing, but honestly, this was some grade A nonsense:

This was flagged for roughing the passer pic.twitter.com/T7d76u5vgJ

— Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL) November 5, 2023

Jones was holding the ball when Henry hit him from the blindside, landing on top of him on the way down but sliding off to complete the tackle. It was a completely unavoidable finish to a great play and it looked a hell of a lot like a normal, celebratable sack. Instead, it got flagged for roughing the passer and turned what should have been a fourth-and-long into a fresh set of downs on an eventual field goal drive for New England.

Needless to say, fans and analysts were frustrated and annoyed with the potentially game-changing call.