Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Matthew Butler got away with a late hit during Monday night's NFL game against their division rival New York Jets.
It happened with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with the Dolphins holding a 27-13 lead. With 1st and 10 on the Miami 35-yard line, Jets QB Justin Fields took the shotgun snap and threw a short pass to tight end Jeremy Ruckert for a 12-yard gain, where he was taken down by linebacker Tyrel Dodson. However, after going down, Butler came flying in from yards away and landed on top of Ruckert, hitting him in the back and the head. Surprisingly, no penalty was called for the late hit.
Dan Orlovsky: "That's gotta be a flag... I mean, you can't miss this. That's two tonight that are obvious against the Jets that they just haven't thrown." 🏈🦓🎙️ #NFL #MNF pic.twitter.com/pfk7RoJKri
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 30, 2025
We recently saw an incident in college football where a player was penalized for jumping on top of a pile. This is virtually the same thing. However, it is surprising that despite the initiatives the NFL has implemented to improve player safety, the officials would not place emphasis on late hits such as this one. ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky pointed this out as a clear miss by the referees, who seemed to have no explanation for Jets coach Aaron Glenn on why this was not called.
The Jets went on to score a touchdown and a two-point conversion on teh drive to cut the lead to 27-21, but that is as close as the Jets would get. The Dolphins held on for their first win of the season, while the Jets dropped to an embarrassing 0-4.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
