NFL fans outraged as Jets slapped with 5 penalties by halftime vs Vikings in London: "Purple a-- refs"

The New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings kicked off the NFL's London Series on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets' struggles started early with two interceptions. Penalties also didn't help them make any progress in the first two quarters.

New York had five penalties in the first half, three aimed at cornerback Sauce Gardner. The defense's inability to defend without getting penalized also started to play a factor early on. Fans on X blamed the NFL officiating crew for calling too many penalties and not allowing the game to be played.

Expand Tweet

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

One fan called two of the calls "soft" and the third as non-existent. Others wanted to know why Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson wasn't being penalized for offensive pass interference.

"With a dropped Interception tossed in for good measure," a fan said.

"3 very soft calls on the Jets secondary, excuse me, 2 soft calls and one phantom call. Did the NFL hire soccer referees today? #NYJvsMIN," another fan wrote.

"Jefferson pushing off on every play and never being called for PI, even though he’s been doing it since he entered the NFL, is pretty much on brand for NFL referees tbh," one fan wrote.

One user called for the NFL to review the performance of the officials. Another said that the referees weren't giving the New York Jets' secondary any opportunities to make plays and instead called penalties.

"#NFL you need to check your "referees" with these unnecessary flags!"-one fan suggested to the NFL

"The Jets are rubbish. The NFL referees are even worse."-one frustrated fan said

"Referees giving DBs zero leeway in this one."-said another fan

Despite first-half woes, Jets' Aaron Rodgers sets NFL milestone

Aaron Rodgers entered Sunday's game sore after dealing with knee inflammation throughout the week. Despite only throwing 95 yards in the first half, he surpassed another NFL milestone.

Rodgers hit the 60,000 passing yard mark on a seven-yard throw to tight end Tyler Conklin to open the second half. The quarterback became the ninth in NFL history to hit the milestone.

Expand Tweet

The last QB to reach the 60,000-yard mark was Matt Ryan in 2022.

About the author

Bethany Cohen is an NFL writer at Sportskeeda, with a rich prior 15-year experience in the sports writing industry, primarily covering the MLB and MiLB. She majored in Communications from the University of South Florida and has previously worked for top companies such as Examiner.com and Legends on Deck.

Bethany owes her NFL allegiance to the Pittsburgh Steelers owing to their long-standing tradition and competitiveness. She is a fan of old stalwarts such as Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and would love to watch them in the 1970s if she manages to get her hand on a time machine. She also acknowledges the greatness of modern icons like T.J. Watt for his desire to continuously improve despite being on top. She admires coaches Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid for their longevity and success.

The ace reporter credits her knowledge and love for the sport to be her biggest reporting strengths. Prior fact-checking is a big component of her process and she always scours through additional sources to ensure complete accuracy in her content.

Super Bowl XLIII, when the Steelers won the the grand prize after Santonio Holmes’ epic catch in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock is etched in Bethany’s memory forever. When she is free of her professional commitments, she likes to attend sports events and music concerts.

Know More

New York Jets Nation! Check out the latest Jets Schedule and dive into the New York Jets Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez