Bill Belichick Took Issue With This Key Penalty In Patriots Loss

Bill Belichick believed the Patriots were robbed on one pivotal officiating decision in Sunday’s loss to the Commanders.

Linebacker Mack Wilson was flagged for jumping offsides on a late Washington punt. That penalty gave the Commanders a fresh set of downs and forced New England to burn its final two timeouts.

The Patriots got the ball back with 2:07 remaining, and their final drive stalled when a Mac Jones pass bounced off JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hands for an interception. Washington left Gillette Stadium with a 20-17 victory.

During his Monday morning video conference, Belichick voiced his displeasure with the call against Wilson, saying it looked like the Patriots ‘backer never actually entered the neutral zone.

“There were a couple things,” the head coach said. “First of all, I’m not sure he was in the neutral zone. We talked about the placement of the ball before the game. But looking at it last night, I’m not sure he was in the neutral zone. He flinched, but I don’t think he was in the neutral zone.”

Wilson’s penalty was just one of several costly late-game errors committed by New England’s special teams. The Patriots were whistled for three other penalties on fourth-quarter Commanders punts, and one that didn’t draw a flag saw returner Demario Douglas lose yardage deep in his own territory.

As a result of those miscues, the Patriots’ offense started its final three drives at its own 5-, 9- and 9-yard lines, and none produced points.

The loss dropped the free-falling Patriots to 2-7 on the season heading into this week’s trip to Germany. New England will take on the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park.