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Ravens benefit from a horrific tripping penalty called on Dolphins

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 9:32 PM ET

There was a bank error in the Baltimore Ravens’ favor during Thursday’s game.

This week’s “Thursday Night Football” matchup had the Ravens going up against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. During the second quarter, Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle got loose for a big completion of 36 yards that was about to set Miami up at the Baltimore 7-yard line.

However, the big play was wiped out by one of the worst penalty calls of the NFL season. Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II appeared to slip while in pass protection, inadvertently taking out Ravens linebacker Mike Green. The officials deemed the sequence to be an intentional action on Gordon’s part and threw a flag for a personal foul for tripping.

With the 15-yard penalty, the Dolphins ended up having to punt on the drive instead. Here is the video.

A huge play for the #Dolphins is called back for an unnecessary roughness penalty that the broadcast disagrees with. Tua to Waddle for what would've been a HUGE gain. pic.twitter.com/W1uuqgCctE
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) October 31, 2025

Take a look at a closer angle of Gordon’s contact on Green.

Dolphins flagged for a personal foul because Gordon slipped. This takes away a big pass from Tua to Waddle pic.twitter.com/VfMDH8A81b
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) October 31, 2025

The NFL rulebook contains fairly ambiguous language when it comes to tripping, simply stating that “the use of the leg or foot to obstruct any opponent” is prohibited. But intent certainly has to matter, and there did not seem to be any of that on Gordon’s part.

Tripping is also a less common penalty in the NFL in general. Several years ago, the Dallas Cowboys were also on the receiving end of a highly controversial tripping penalty during a game.

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

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