The Jaguars were penalized six times for 98 yards in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game while the Patriots were penalized just once for 10 yards, which was a holding penalty on a kickoff.
Bouye was especially upset about Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore not being called for pass interference against receiver Dede Westbrook on a fourth-down pass late in the game, a 32-yard pass interference call against him late in the first half that set up a touchdown, and about Patriots receiver Danny Amendola not being called for head-butting safety Tashaun Gipson after a play in the third quarter.
“I was pissed because I seen Amendola head-butt the hell out of Gip in front of the ref and you all don’t call nothing?” Bouye said. “It don’t make no sense, man; it’s a lot of stuff that don’t make no sense. I have a lot of respect for these people in this locker room. They kept fighting; we all kept fighting. We knew there was stuff we couldn’t control, and we kept it close.”
Bouye said he felt like the Patriots players were trying to goad the Jaguars into committing penalties, much like players said the Buffalo Bills players tried to do in the AFC wild-card game the Jaguars won 10-3.
The Jaguars were called for two defensive pass interference penalties against the Patriots. They had been flagged for an NFL-low five during the regular season. The Jaguars also had the NFL’s least-penalized defense this season, with a total of nine penalties, accepted or declined, for defensive pass interference, defensive holding or illegal contact.
Per the NFL, the Patriots’ one penalty is the fewest in a playoff game since 2011, when the Patriots were called for one in a victory over Baltimore.