"It's a natural part of football, fortunately and otherrwise, which continues to be a story in the first week of the 2025 NFL season. Early in their first matchup with the Raiders, the Patriots benefitted from what some are calling a questionable pass interference call that allowed them to continue an otherwise dead drive. That immediately garnered a lot of attention, as the Patriots have gained a reputation for "getting all of the flags" in games."
"In the second half of Sunday's game, Raiders wide receiver and former Patriot Jakobi Meyers began to hit his stride and make defenders pay on nearly every play. In the midst of that, he was awarded and unnecessary roughness call on Jaylinn Hawkins, awarding the Raiders 15 yards which eventually led to a touchdown, despite Meyers being the one to lower his head on the play first."
"Safety of the players should be treated with the utmost importance by the NFL, even if it they consistently make fans question if they really are doing that, so penalizing a team for leading with their head or any sort of helmet to helmet hit should be mandatory. However, this isn't a case of that and should have been reviewed, as Meyers initiated lowering the helmet and not Hawkins. It felt like a make-up call for the one from earlier in that game that drew"
The Patriots received a questionable pass interference call early against the Raiders that extended a dead drive, reinforcing their reputation for drawing many penalties. Later, Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers, formerly of New England, was awarded an unnecessary roughness penalty on Jaylinn Hawkins after lowering his head first, giving the Raiders 15 yards and a touchdown. Officials appear to have issued a compensatory call that balanced the earlier flag. Player safety rules mandate penalizing helmet-to-helmet contact, but the late call should have been reviewed because Meyers initiated the lowering of his helmet, suggesting the call was incorrect.
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