Sean McDermott Upset That Jonathan Jones Wasn't Ejected For Helmet-To-Helmet Hit
BOSTON (CBS) -- Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott was pretty fired up throughout Sunday's Patriots-Bills game. He wasn't very pleased after the game, either.
Following Buffalo's 16-10 defeat at the hands of the Pats, McDermott made it clear that he's extremely miffed that New England cornerback Jonathan Jones was not ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked out Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. The play came in the fourth quarter, as Buffalo was trying to stage a comeback against their divisional foe. Allen decided to use his legs to his advantage and started scrambling for the first down marker, only to be met by New England's Duron Harmon.
Harmon stood Allen up as he tried to bring down the 6-foot-5 QB, which is when Jones came in to finish the play. While Jones didn't lunge toward Allen or dip his helmet, and it looks like he wanted to hit him with his shoulder, it was their helmets that collided in violent fashion.
Allen hit the ground hard and stayed down for several minutes before making his way off the field under his own power. He left the sideline after a brief stay in the medical tent and did not return. Allen is now in the NFL's concussion protocol.
Jones was flagged for unnecessary roughness, but was not ejected from the game. McDermott is still wondering why Jones wasn't given the boot.
"There's no room in football for that," McDermott said at the podium. "It is a shame to see a player like Josh, or any player for that matter, go down on a hit like that.
"I asked for an explanation. I thought he should have been thrown out," McDermott added. "Other than that, I am not going to get into that at all. That is for the league to get into."
NFL head of officiating Al Riveron told Sunday's pool reporter that Jones' hit did not "rise to the level" of the league's standard for ejection. While Jones wasn't sent to the locker room early, he may be hearing from the league this week.
Allen was replaced by Matt Barkley, who threw an interception to Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins on Buffalo's final drive of the game to seal the win for New England.