The New England Patriots truly are back. Not only are they competing for the top seed in the AFC again, their quarterback is (usually) playing at a high level, and their defense is keeping opponents in check on a weekly basis, they are also at the center of controversy again.
Well, that is at least according to the Atlanta Falcons.
Following the two teams’ meeting on Sunday, which was won by the Patriots with a final score of 24-23, the Falcons voiced their frustrations about a specific play in the fourth
quarter. Facing a 2nd-and-10 on the New England side of the field just outside the two minute warning, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was flagged for intentional grounding: the snap came early, and he just tossed the ball into the ground to avoid a negative play.
Of course, outside of a turnover no outcome would have been worse than that particular penalty: it moved Atlanta back 10 yards and lost them the down, forcing Penix Jr. and company into a 3rd-and-20 situation. Instead of potentially being in position for a lead-changing field goal, they were ultimately forced to punt and gave the Patriots an opportunity to run out the clock.
After the game, the Falcons were not particularly happy about that play. Not due to the penalty, that is, but because of the Patriots apparently using some nefarious tactics to force an early snap.
“Supposedly they were clapping,” Penix Jr. said during his postgame presser. “For us, whenever I’m clapping, that means I want the ball. I knew [Ryan Neuzil] said he heard them clapping, and he thought it was my clap, and he snapped the ball. I threw the ball in [Kyle Pitts]’ direction; he had just released on a route. I thought I was going to be OK with the grounding part. Obviously that wasn’t the case.”
Had the Patriots simulated the snap count in order to throw the Falcons off, they would have been subject to a 15-yard penalty. Such a call would have completely shifted the outcome of the play, and possibly the game.
That did not happen, even though Falcons head coach Raheem Morris also believes the Patriots actively forced the early snap.
“They did a nice job. They simulated a snap,” he said. “The ball came early, was snapped early. Within that snap, that was when we got the intentional grounding. Nice job by those guys. Great situational football. Great play. Got to snap the ball. That’s why the ball was snapped early on Mike. He wasn’t ready for the snap.”
The Falcons’ claims are hard to verify given the noisy nature of Gillette Stadium in the late fourth quarter of a close game. However, a look at the film shows that whatever sounds that might have prompted the early snap did not appear to originate from one of the Patriots’ defensive players.
After the game, Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams expressed surprise about the accusations of his team clapping to prompt an early snap.
“Who was clapping? Did it look like I was clapping?” the veteran defender said. “I’m going to go watch and see who was clapping. I didn’t hear any clapping. I’m looking at the ball. The ball moves, I’m gone.”
Williams instead believes the blame lies with the Falcons’ internal communication.
“I think both their guards were out. Their communication might have been off,” he said. “One of them probably tapped [Neuzil] or something. I’m going off the ball. I’m down, ready to go, so when he snaps it, I’m gone. He [threw it] and I’m talking to the ref like, ‘Hey man.’ I knew it was getting to that point in the game. That was big for us.”
Whatever happened and whether or not it might have had an effect on the outcome of the play is up in the air. Fact is, no penalty was thrown and the Falcons failed to execute at the appropriate level before Drake Maye and Hunter Henry connected on a third down pass to seal the game.
