
Week Fourteen of the NFL season is complete and featured a controversial long snapper penalty late in Thursday’s Steelers game against the Patriots.
Steelers’ snapper Christian Kuntz was flagged for a false start penalty with about five minutes left in the game and his team trailing by three. Kuntz thought the Patriots jumped offsides, a penalty that would have given the team a first down.
However, Kunttz was called for a penalty for an apparent “abrupt” movement of his head. JJ Watt even weighed in on social media, noting that “[t]hat is how every single long snapper in the NFL moves their head.”
Jon Weeks of the Texans was nominated as the team’s candidate for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his on and off the field activities.
Pro Bowl voting continues and current fan vote leaders for long snappers are Blake Ferguson of the Dolphins in the AFC and Andrew DePaola of the Vikings in the NFC.
Four snappers recorded tackles in punt coverage this week. Ross Matiscik (Jaguars) had two solo tackles, giving him the lead among all snappers with eight, all of which are solo tackles. A trio of snappers, Charley Hughlett (Browns), JJ Jansen (Panthers) and DePaola (Vikings) each added an assisted tackle.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Fourteen is below.