Packers' Clay Matthews again part of controversial roughing penalty

The roughing-the-passer penalty continues to dog Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, who was flagged for a violation in a controversial Sunday in the Packers' 31-17 loss at the Washington Redskins.

Last week, a key roughing-the-passer penalty on Matthews was attributed to him lifting Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and driving him into the ground. This week, Matthews was called for another such violation because he landed on Washington quarterback Alex Smith "with all or most of the defender's weight," the NFL office explained on Twitter.

The reasoning for the foul came from the league office, not from the officials on the field.

Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy was irate on the sidelines, having to be held back a couple of times by his assistant coaches from charging at the referees.

Former NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino said on the FOX broadcast that he did not agree with the call.

"I don't like that as a foul. I really don't," Blandino said.

The controversial call last week on Matthews was balanced by an equally controversial roughing call on Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks.

This week, the foul on Matthews came after Washington defensive lineman Daron Payne appeared to drive Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers into the ground, but no flag was thrown.