The NFL has a clear rule against removing the helmet in the field of play. It was properly applied in one game on Sunday. In another game, it was not.
We addressed the specific rule during Wednesday’s #PFTPM. It’s one of the various forms of unsportsmanlike conduct. The rule includes this language: “Removal of his helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration, or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player.”
It is not a judgment call. It’s automatic, with no discretion or exceptions.
At the end of Sunday’s game between the Ravens and the Steelers, Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt removed his helmet in celebration of a game-clinching sack of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. He was flagged. Because the foul happened after the fourth-down play, the Steelers kept the ball — 15 yards from where they would have had possession.
Toward the end of Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and the Vikings, Kansas City cornerback L’Jarius Sneed removed his helmet as part of a confrontation with game officials after being flagged for defensive pass interference. For some reason, Sneed was not penalized.
Along the way, the officials also picked up the flag for pass interference. With no explanation. It appeared that Sneed did indeed use contact while the ball was in the air to keep Vikings receiver Jordan Addison from getting to it. Regardless, the Chiefs caught a break — one week after a questionable interference call against the Jets wiped out a late-game interception thrown by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Regardless of whether the interference flag should have been picked up (and it arguably should not have been), Sneed definitely should have been flagged for removing his helmet. It would have given the Chiefs the ball at their own 12, instead of at their own 24. Would it have made a difference? There’s no way to know without replaying the game from that moment.
Regardless, the moment served only to bolster the perception that the NFL wants the Chiefs to thrive this year, given the connection between Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Right or wrong, some believe it. The most important moment of Sunday’s game at Minnesota did nothing to change that.
