The New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills have been going back and forth since the end of Sunday's game against a hit that occurred in the fourth quarter.
On the play, Patriots corner Jonathan Jones hit Josh Allen as the Bills quarterback was scrambling for yardage. Jones and Allen ended up engaging in helmet-to-helmet contact and Allen took the worst of it on the play. Allen would leave the game and didn't return as he was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol.
In the aftermath of the game, Bills coach Sean McDermott said that "there's no place in the game" for the hit Jones placed on Allen. And Micah Hyde went as far as saying that had a similar hit been levied on Tom Brady, the player would have been ejected.
Meanwhile, Patriots players like Duron Harmon and Jones himself were frustrated by the flag, as Allen was a runner and he initiated the contact. And now, Bill Belichick has weighed in with his take on the hit.
In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Belichick didn't seem to like the call against Jones as said that there really wasn't much that Jones could've done differently.
"I think, when a player -- When there isn't really much you can tell him to do differently, then I think you don't tell him anything," Belichick said. "I mean, Allen's a big runner; he's a strong guy, hard to tackle. He certainly broke several tackles against us. Jon (Jones) turned when he hit him and didn't lead with his head."
And when asked if he thought Jones ever played dangerous or close to the envelope when on the field, Belichick had a simple response.
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
"Uh, no."
Despite his thoughts on the hit, Belichick deferred judgment to the league office on the hit and said that the Patriots will "coach it within the rules as (they're) interpreted."
"Ultimately the decision rests with Al Riveron and the game officials and the NFL office on that play," Belichick said. "It really doesn't matter what you think or what I think or what anybody else thinks. They're the ones who are officiating the play and we'll coach it within the rules as the rules are interpreted."
As Riveron explained postgame, the contact "didn't rise to the level" of being an ejection but the penalty on the play stood.
Tom Brady reacts to Josh Allen hit, gives him great advice>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.