Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott (Photos via Getty Images)
New York Giants star wide receiver Darius Slayton put the NFL in its place due to their failure to consistently enforce the “finger gun celebration” unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

This year, the NFL started to crack down on celebrations where players commit the “finger gun” or other weapons-related gesture celebrations (such as the bow and arrow). The new rule is already creating significant controversy due to the refs’ inability to enforce it properly, much to the chagrin of Darius Slayton and countless NFL fans.

Slayton was issued an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for committing the finger gun gesture after a catch against the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Week 5 game. On one hand, fair. It’s part of the rules.

But Darius Slayton (rightfully so, by the way) called out the NFL for failing to flag CeeDee Lamb, Patrick Mahomes and JuJu Smith-Schuster for doing the same celebration. Lamb did it in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Mahomes and Smith-Schuster committed the gesture on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints:

A growing army of NFL fans have accused the officials of saving Mahomes and the Chiefs. Judgment calls like pass interference and holding are one thing, but there’s no excuse for the officials missing the clear-as-day fouls against Mahomes and Smith-Schuster.

Darius Slayton hasn’t been hit with a fine…yet. But New York Jets WR Allen Lazard was issued a $14,0069 fine for a finger gun celebration against the Denver Broncos in Week 5, as was Drake London for a similar gesture in the Atlanta Falcons-Philadelphia Eagles Week 2 contest.

Darius Slayton Is Off To A Strong Start For Giants

Slayton has been one of the few positives for the Giants dating back to 2019. He exceeded the 700-yard receiving mark in four of his first five NFL seasons, including a career-high 770 yards last season.

With 18 receptions for 244 yards and a touchdown over his first five games, Slayton is on pace to put together a career year. That’s easier said than done with rising superstar Malik Nabers emerging as the MVP of the Giants offense, but it’s nonetheless exciting for New York fans to finally have a dynamic WR tandem to cheer on.

VIDEO: Social Media Is Convinced The NFL Refs “Rigged” Saints-Chiefs MNF Game After They Missed A Blatantly Obvious Call That Even Troy Aikman Thought Was Shady AF

Chiefs vs. Saints and NFL refs (Photos via ESPN)
Another week of football, another instance of NFL refs under scrutiny for missing an obvious penalty call.

The latest criticism of the NFL refs occurred during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 5 home game against the New Orleans Saints. The game was probably over anyway, but the officials have no excuse for missing a clear-as-day pass interference penalty call.

The officiating controversy took place in the fourth quarter with New Orleans trailing by 13. Jake Haener had to finish the game for New Orleans after starting quarterback Derek Carr suffered an oblique injury.

Haener attempted a pass to wide receiver Chris Olave, who was blatantly interfered with by Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. Incredibly, the NFL refs didn’t bother to throw a flag here:

Even Troy Aikman couldn’t believe the play didn’t draw a flag:

As you would have expected, this non-call that benefited the Chiefs caused plenty of outrage from fans, with some even accusing the NFL of “rigging” it for Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs:

For what it’s worth, the penalty calls were almost even on Monday evening. New Orleans was flagged five times by the NFL refs for 70 yards, and the Chiefs were called for six infractions with 55 yards.

With the victory, the Chiefs improved to 5-0 heading into their bye week. As for the Saints, they have now lost three in a row following a once-promising 2-0 start. They host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST.

NFL Refs Weren’t The Issue In Chiefs-Saints Game

There was immense backlash against the NFL refs in the Chiefs-Cincinnati Bengals Week 2 game. There, the Bengals’ game-winning stop on fourth down was nullified by a controversial pass interference call that set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal.But the officials cannot be blamed for this outcome. The Chiefs were the better team from start to finish, and even if Cook was flagged for PI on Olave, it’s not like the Saints were about to score two late touchdowns against the NFL’s No. 1 team.