The New Orleans Saints are facing controversy following their 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, with defensive back Quincy Riley drawing criticism for a play involving star tight end Brock Bowers. Video of the sequence has circulated on social media, and some Raiders fans are now calling for Riley to be suspended.
MLFootball shared the video on X [click here to see the video] and highlighted the contact around Bowers’ left knee after the Raiders tight end had gone out of bounds. Bowers immediately appeared unhappy with what happened and confronted Riley after the play.
“TRENDING: Raiders fans are calling for Saints DB Quincy Riley to be SUSPENDED after he appeared to go after Brock Bowers’ left knee following the whistle,” MLFootball wrote. “Bowers was already clearly out of bounds when Riley went low. That is why Bowers was FURIOUS.”
There has been no reported indication that the NFL plans to suspend Riley. Still, the video has created a legitimate debate over exactly what happened.
Saints DB Quincy Riley’s Intentions Are Difficult to Determine
Watching the play at different speeds makes it difficult to completely dismiss the questions surrounding Riley’s actions. At full speed, Riley appears to be finishing the play as Bowers goes out of bounds. Slowing the sequence down, however, makes the aftermath look more concerning.
Riley appears to maintain his grip around Bowers’ lower leg after the tight end is already down and out of bounds, with Bowers’ leg turning during the sequence. Optically, it looks like more contact than was necessary to finish the tackle, especially considering where the play occurred.
That does not mean Riley was intentionally attempting to injure Bowers.
There is another reasonable explanation. Riley could simply have been trying to ensure Bowers was completely down and the play was finished. NFL defenders are taught to play through the whistle, and a slow-motion replay can sometimes make a split-second football play look significantly worse than it did in real time.
Still, questioning the play is fair, particularly because Bowers was making his season debut after undergoing a procedure on his left knee. He missed Las Vegas’ first two games before returning against New Orleans and immediately reminded everyone of his importance, catching 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Bowers ultimately finished the game without the controversial play preventing him from producing a dominant performance.
Whether Riley deserves discipline is ultimately for the NFL to determine. Based strictly on the video, his intentions cannot be known with certainty.
But considering Bowers’ knee history and how long the contact appeared to continue, it is understandable why Raiders fans are asking questions.
Raiders Fans Call for Saints DB Quincy Riley Suspension After Controversial Brock Bowers Play