After getting beaten badly by wide receiver Christian Watson, Raiders cornerback Marcus Peters resorted to a cheap play to prevent a Packers touchdown.
Marcus Peters got called for a horse-collar penalty after this HUGE play from Christian Watson #GBvsLV pic.twitter.com/pSLSrzMDaI
— ESPN (@espn) October 10, 2023
Peters grabbed Watson by his collar and slung him to the ground, a clear personal foul horse-collar penalty.
Immediately afterward, Peters was criticized online for his controversial tackle.
If you horsecollar a guy with a clear path to the endzone that should be a touchdown
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) October 10, 2023
Horse collar inside the ten when you know it won't cost you 15 yards is just a dirty play.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 10, 2023
Horse-collar tackles were eliminated in 2005 following a tackle by Cowboys defensive back Roy Williams on Eagles wide receiver Terrell Ownes in 2004, resulting in Owens sustaining a fractured fibula.
How the horse collar tackle was born!
— Scott Shanle⁵⁸ (@scottshanle) April 16, 2020
This is the play that brought the horse collar tackle into the NFL. If I had rerouted @terrellowens like i was supposed to (sorry coach Parcells) this play never happens and @roywilliams31 doesnt have to make the tackle.#ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/d21W3RiPPC
Luckily, Watson wasn't injured because of Peters' dirty play. And as much as he should be criticized, Peters was rewarded for it after the Raiders held the Packers to a field goal.
The league should enforce a rule for player safety to prevent defenders from making an egregious tackle like the one Peters made. Watson had a clear path to the end zone and would have scored without the cheap tackle.
Unless the NFL does something, more defenders will pull a Peters when they get beat. When that happens and it results in a serious injury, the league will only have itself to blame.
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