Ravens’ illegal formations vs. Chiefs sparks wild buzz
It’s the first game of the season and plenty of controversy has already enveloped the Kansas City Chiefs’ exciting contest against the Baltimore Ravens — a rematch of the 2024 AFC Championship Game and a showcase between two of the best quarterbacks in today’s game, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. In particular, the referees have zeroed in on what they think are illegal formation penalties on the Ravens.
There has been a hyperfixation, it seems, on how the offensive linemen position themselves along the line of scrimmage. In the Ravens’ very first drive of the game, they were called for three illegal formation penalties, with the referees deeming Baltimore as not having enough personnel on the line of scrimmage.
This sparked a wave of outrage on social media among fans and media members who couldn’t believe how bogged down the NFL game is going to be moving forward if the referees decide to call everything as closely as they did against the Ravens.
“If you’re into illegal formation penalties, this is the season for you,” @StevePalazzolo_ wrote on X.
“okay whatever this illegal formation flag thing is let’s cut that bulls**t out,” Shea Serrano exclaimed.
“I was really hoping the league would crack down on illegal formation. Kept me up at night,” JP Finlay of NBC Sports sarcastically expressed.
This is ridiculous.
This is not an illegal formation. pic.twitter.com/02x8jmB1tB
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 6, 2024
“Illegal formation” pic.twitter.com/Cc21n4pB7P
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 6, 2024
And then on the flip side of things, the Chiefs’ offensive line appears to getting away with a few penalties of their own. In particular, offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor is being flamed by fans on X, especially the Ravens faithful, for leaning backwards before the ball is being snapped to gain better positioning on the pass protection.
“Jawaan Taylor and uncalled false starts in the first game…a tradition unlike any other,” @BadSportsRefs wrote on X.
“Jawaan Taylor, the most penalized player in the league is false starting on every single passiny play tonight and the refs just simply won’t call it. He must have watched a lot of Eagles film in the off season,” @rouxrice furthered.
Meanwhile here is Jawaan Taylor https://t.co/4gjcWONR24 pic.twitter.com/Jmk2NJJgz0
— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) September 6, 2024
Jawaan Taylor 1 second before the ball is snapped pic.twitter.com/u9kf1ctXC1
— The Rowdy Raider (@RowdyRedRaider0) September 6, 2024
Jawaan Taylor still getting away with penalties in the big 2024 pic.twitter.com/afvvS246V0
— Hezo (@Hez0Tween) September 6, 2024
But these false starts from Taylor aren’t the only problem for fans. They also pointed out that the Chiefs’ O-line man was lining up similarly to the Ravens’ penalized players, and yet he was getting away with it on every snap.
“Jawaan Taylor lined up the exact same as Mekari and Stanley. No flag. This is f**king horses**t,” @JL4486 commented.
“Jawaan Taylor yet to be called for being lined up next to Mahomes in shotgun when Stanley was called for being inches back. Call it both ways,” added @BmoreBeatdown.
Why were the Ravens penalized in quick succession?
Apparently, it became a point of emphasis for the officials to penalize offensive lines that aren’t properly aligned at the line of scrimmage. This helps prevent offenses gain an unfair advantage, giving them a few yards to brace for the pass rush, which, in turn, makes it hard for the defense to exert pressure.
For the Ravens, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was flagged four times in the first half of their tussle against the Chiefs alone, was deemed by the officials to have taken a step back to give him and his team an advantage. Perhaps Stanley was indeed guilty of such infractions. But the officials have to do a better job, it seems, of calling these penalties both ways.
The post Ravens’ illegal formations vs. Chiefs sparks wild buzz appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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