The NFL told the Jets that its officials made a mistake on Sunday in their loss to the Cowboys.
Jets defensive end John Franklin-Myers was flagged for roughing the passer in the second quarter on a third-and-7 on the Jets’ 11-yard line.
The Jets would have been off the field on the Dak Prescott incompletion, but the penalty extended the drive and the Cowboys ended up scoring a touchdown.
On Wednesday, the league conceded to the Jets that the hit was legal and a penalty should not have been called, according to a source.
The penalty came at a key juncture in the game.
The Jets were down only 10-7 with just over two minutes left in the first half. The touchdown that came after the penalty put the Cowboys up 18-7.
Jets coach Robert Saleh spoke to the media before the team had gotten word from the league that the penalty was incorrect, but he was clearly upset about the call.
“There’s nothing I can coach to make that different,” Saleh said. “He got pulled down. His face hit the hip above the knee, which is still legal. Everything about it was legal.”
It seemed as if the official thought Franklin-Myers hit Prescott below the knee, which is illegal. Replays showed that Franklin-Myers hit Prescott’s upper leg and he was falling into him as Prescott threw the ball.
The Jets’ offensive line had major pass protection issues against the Cowboys, but Saleh said he is not considering any lineup changes this week.
“Not right now,” Saleh said. “Like I said, that same group ran for 180 yards against Buffalo. I said what happened on Sunday and it is what it is. It just wasn’t our best day coaching, playing, executing, all of it. It’s just turning the page over and figuring out how we can get back on track.”
Saleh did say the team wants to get second-year TE Jeremy Ruckert more involved.
Ruckert played only five snaps on Sunday despite being the best blocking tight end.
“We acknowledge Ruckert needs to get on the field a little bit more,” Saleh said. “He stands for all the right stuff. That’s the intent. We’ll see how it works out. He’s going to continue to get better. He’ll find his way into the offense.”
CB Sauce Gardner on the Patriots offense: “They don’t really have a complex offense. It’s pretty simple for the quarterback to get, gap scheme, everything is really like simple, but it’s like they excel at it. What they try to do is get other people to mess up and make mistakes. They just do everything right.”
The following Jets did not practice Wednesday: S Tony Adams (hamstring), OT Duane Brown (hip, shoulder), Franklin-Myers (hip) and K Greg Zuerlein (groin). OT Mekhi Becton (knee), CB Michael Carter II (elbow), RB Breece Hall (knee) and LB Quincy Williams (knee) were all limited. … The team signed WR Irv Charles to the practice squad and released DT Tanzel Smart.