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Dan Orlovsky Shreds Officials After Controversial No-Call in Jets-Dolphins Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 9:54 AM ET

Any New York Jets fans who ran into Dan Orlovsky at a Miami coffee shop on Tuesday morning should have had two words for the former NFL quarterback: “Thank you.”

Orlovsky turned heads during Monday’s Jets-Dolphins thriller for blasting officials over a controversial no-call late in the fourth quarter. Craig Wrolstad’s crew blatantly missed a flag on Dolphins defensive tackle Matthew Butler, who had a late hit on Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert shortly before the two-minute warning.

Orlovsky, calling the game on ESPN alongside Chris Fowler and Louis Riddick, immediately pointed out that a flag should have been thrown. Fowler agreed, noting that Butler landed on Ruckert after the play was dead.

“I mean, you can’t miss this,” Orlovsky vented. “That’s two tonight that are obvious against the Jets that they just haven’t thrown.”

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

Although the Jets scored a touchdown later in the drive, they failed to complete the comeback and instead lost 27-21. Not only are the Jets 0-4 for the first time since 2020, but their already-minuscule playoff hopes are rapidly evaporating. Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers have made the postseason following a 0-4 start.

Orlovsky deserves significant credit for calling out the officials on a nationally-televised broadcast, especially after ESPN recently acquired the NFL Network. There is arguably far more pressure on ESPN analysts to avoid criticizing anything related to officiating or league business.

The officials definitely kept busy on Monday night, calling the Jets for 13 penalties that cost Aaron Glenn’s squad 101 yards. However, six of those were pre-snap penalties — three false starts, a delay of game, an illegal shift, and an illegal motion. Those are indisputable, and one can’t exactly blame an official for a team failing to get a play off in time.

Missing a late hit, though, is another story entirely. Given their penalty problems dating back to the preseason, don’t be surprised to see the Jets involved in further controversial officiating incidents over the coming weeks.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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