How Was Chargers Defender Not Flagged For This Hit On Mac Jones?

Mac Jones was at the center of two questionable officiating decisions Sunday.

First, Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he lightly grazed a diving Jones as the New England Patriots quarterback scrambled for a first down.

It was a ticky-tack penalty, but not an overly surprising one given the way passers are protected in the modern NFL.

The more baffling call came five plays later.

With the Patriots threatening near the Chargers’ goal line, LA called a late timeout that prompted officials to blow the whistle immediately after the snap. That didn’t stop defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, though. He rushed past guard Ted Karras and drilled Jones well after the play had been blown dead.

New England’s O-linemen leaped to their QB’s defense, but no flags were thrown, neither for Tillery’s hit nor the ensuing scuffle.

The Patriots wound up turning the ball over on downs after a fourth-and-goal fade to Jakobi Meyers fell incomplete. The Chargers only landed two legitimate hits on Jones in the first half — including an earlier Tillery sack that counted — but the young signal-caller struggled to get comfortable, completing just 8 of 22 passes for 126 yards over the first two quarters.