Getty Mac Jones calls a play at the line of scrimmage in a game against the Carolina Panthers.
The rivalry between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots is spilling over to social media.
Though the AFC East foes have yet to face off on the field this year, the tensions could already be rising after a Bills linebacker took aim at New England’s quarterback for a questionable hit in the team’s 24-6 win over the Carolina Panthers. In the game, Mac Jones appeared to twist the ankle of defensive end Brian Burns after he had sacked Jones and forced a fumble. Burns went down in pain though was able to return, but the play is generating some controversy.
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Dodson Calls Out “Unprofessional” Play
The hit on Burns drew some attention from his teammates on the Panthers. After the game, linebacker Haason Reddick called out Jones and called on the NFL to hand down punishment to the Patriots quarterback.
“I definitely thought it was a dirty play,” Reddick said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I actually saw and witnessed the play while it was happening, as I was running, seeing him over there. At first, it looked like he was trying to trip or kick Burns and then next thing you notice, I saw him tugging on Burns’ ankle. I thought it was completely dirty. Hopefully it’s something that the league addresses.”
Others outside the game weighed in as well, including Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson. In a tweet that he later deleted, Dodson posted a short video that showed Jones grabbing onto Burns’s ankle and offered some angry commentary on it.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS!??! THIS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW!? UNPROFESSIONAL,” Dodson wrote, via NBC Sports Boston.
Dodson will get the chance to face off with Jones at least two times in the coming weeks. The Bills host the Patriots in Week 13 for a Monday Night Football matchup, and the teams meet again in New England for Week 16. The Patriots have been hanging tough in the AFC East, now just a half-game behind the Bills after Buffalo’s shocking loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Jones Explains the Play
After the game, Jones explained that he believed Burns had recovered the fumble and was starting to take off toward the endzone.
“After I got hit pretty hard, I didn’t really know what was going on. I thought he had the ball. It’s my job to try to make the tackle. That was pretty much it,” Jones said during an appearance on WEEI’s “Merloni and Fauria,” via ESPN.
“Obviously, when you get up and see the ball is actually down the field a little bit more — it’s just a bang-bang play. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody or anything like that. I was just trying to tackle him and make the play, because I didn’t really know what was going on.”
There was no penalty called on the play, but ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted that the NFL will review the play and Jones could be subject to a fine. Some believe the punishment should be even greater than a fine alone. ESPN host Michael Balko Jr. tweeted a close-up of Jones grabbing the defensive end’s ankle and wrote that the play warrants a two-game suspension for the Patriots quarterback.
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