Forgot about the game being on but then again, haven’t watched any games this year. However, I did see a clip of the hit. Bang/bang play, as they say.
Yes, it wasn’t at the goal line but it was at the 1st down marker. Flacco was in a full sprint, looked up and saw the defender coming at him. Pause frame by frame and you see Flacco starting to bail out two yards short of the 1st down line and the defender was already bracing for a collision from the opposite direction. Keep in mind, 2 yards is shorter than Flacco is tall. Sure, they can throw the flag but I don’t think the hit was an intentional attempt to injure. Nor was it apparent (in the only angle I saw) the defender “targeted” Flacco’s head. He was simply trying to get between Flacco and the 1st down marker.
The NFL has come a long way as far as the athletes are concerned. The players are too big and too fast for the protective equipment to be of any substantial use, let alone the penalties. It’s an aggressive game. Always has been. But it only gets ugly when the trash talking and look-at-me showmanship is allowed to fester.
If the NFL is going to let the quarterback slide to avoid a tackle, and protect him from the moment he starts his slide, they should spot the ball at the point he starts his slide.
If Alonso lets Flacco slide without the hit, he makes the first down. The only way to stop Flacco from sliding past the first down yardage is to apply enough force to stop his forward momentum.
So, I have no problem with the hit.