It’s hard to imagine what Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson could’ve done to avoid a penalty in the final seconds of the third quarter Sunday.
After chasing down the Tennessee Titans’ backpedaling quarterback Will Levis, Chaisson — along with teammate Roy Robertson-Harris — forced an errant throw with a hit to the rookie passer. But instead of another third down stop for the Jaguars, the play resulted in a first down for the Titans when officials decided Chaisson landed on Levis with his full weight.
Another day, another ridiculous roughing the passer penalty in the NFL. This one by Jacksonville's K'Lavon Chaisson pic.twitter.com/F9BRlyoxPo
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) November 19, 2023
It was a call that baffled many viewers and frustrated fans at EverBank Stadium, but coach Doug Pederson said Monday that he wasn’t too bothered by the penalty.
“It’s tough, it’s tough on those guys because they’re trying to make a play and get the quarterback on the ground — it’s unfortunate,” Pederson said. “I think it was the right call at that time. They’ve got to do the best they can to try to either peel off to the side or try to brace yourself with your arms off the quarterback, things of that nature, and do the best you can.”
In 2018, the NFL’s definition of roughing the passer was amended to read, “A rushing defender is prohibited from committing such intimidating and punishing acts as ‘stuffing’ a passer into the ground … the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight.”
Chaisson has recorded two sacks this season and is due to become a free agent in 2024.
