NFL referee heard on game broadcast microphone calling player out for ‘once again’ committing same penalty

THE NEW England Patriots turned in such an ugly performance in offense on Sunday that even a referee took a shot at them.

The Patriots are making their final preparations for the 2024 NFL season, with their last preseason game coming against the Washington Commanders .

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Patriots left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor committed an illegal formation penalty late in the first half.

That negated a fine touchdown throw from new Patriots quarterback Drake Maye to wide receiver K.J. Osborn.

It was the third such penalty on Okorafor in the game, all three being for illegal formation.

NFL referee Shawn Hochuli took a chance to hit out at the Patriots struggles.

“Illegal formation, once again, left tackle No. 77 was lined up in the backfield,” Hochuli said.

That “once again” line was instantly leapt on by Mike Tirico, who was calling the game for NBC.

Okorafor played for the Pittsburgh Steelers since being drafted in 2018.

He joined the Patriots in March, signing a one-year contract.

New Patriots coach Jerod Mayo admits his side need to perform better when the regular season kicks off.

Mayo spoke to reporters after the Commanders claimed a 20-10 victory.

“That’s just undisciplined football and we got to do better than that,” Mayo said.

“That’s on all of us, it starts with me. I’ve got to be more diligent.

“The referees did a good job, they warned us a number of times.

“We had those warnings and we didn’t take heed. It was very frustrating.”

Mayo is following in the footsteps of a legend, after Bill Belichick left at the start of this year.

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Belichick was New England’s head coach for nearly a quarter of a century.

He led the Patriots to six Super Bowl triumphs, from nine appearances in the NFL’s biggest game.

But he struggled more when iconic quarterback Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last season, the Patriots finished a miserable regular season campaign with a 4-13 record.

The Patriots kick off their 2024 season against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 8th.