### **Unnecessary Roughness Penalty on Kyle Hamilton Shows 'How Maddening It Is to Play Defense in 2026'**
Of the 13 penalties called against the Ravens in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans, the unnecessary roughness call on safety Kyle Hamilton was especially frustrating.
"What exactly was Kyle Hamilton supposed to do?" [The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker wrote](https://www.thebanner.com/sports/ravens-nfl/ravens-titans-column-7R3TQQYWS5A4JAAXUUYMLY7KDI/). "Cam Ward took the snap and dropped back as if to pass. His blockers fired off their marks. Hamilton blew around the right edge, made a clean hit to Ward's chest and offered his hand to help the Tennessee quarterback to his feet. Nothing dirty to see there.
"Only the Titans had called a timeout a split-second before the snap and Hamilton did not hear an official's whistle over the sound and fury of a typical NFL third down. What appeared to be a sack turned into an unnecessary roughness penalty on Hamilton and a massive assist to the Titans' scoring chances (the Ravens ultimately stopped them near the goal line). The home fans reacted with their angriest serenade of the young season."
For the record, almost every other player on the field also didn't hear the whistle. Walker said the play is an illustration of how maddening it is to play defense in 2026.
"Points are fun, and honest attempts to improve player safety are essential to the future of the sport, but we can tell the truth here," Walker wrote. "The balance has shifted too far toward offense. The 2000 Ravens defense, so revered, could not exist a quarter of a century later. Not even close. It would be buried in yellow flags week after week."
Head Coach Jesse Minter said the penalty on Hamilton was a result of "unfortunate timing," and he understands why it was called.
"That's just one of those plays. It is what it is," Minter said. "I do respect the fact that the league wants to protect the quarterbacks, so I want to start with that, because if that happened to our quarterback, I'd be sitting there saying the same thing."
Speaking of penalties, the Ravens 13 penalties for 131 yards were an issue in Sunday's game and have been a problem in the early part of the season. However, the Ravens aren't the only team getting flagged a lot.
In Week 4, there was roughly 17 to 18 penalties per game, marking the most flags seen in a single week in over a decade. In the Jacksonville Jaguars' win over the Cincinnati Bengals, there were a combined 24 penalties for 233 yards.