Jamie Collins’ field goal block was a key play in the New England Patriots’ division-clinching win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. According to the Dolphins, it should have never happened.
Miami is submitting the play to the NFL league office for review, claiming that the Patriots should have been flagged for an illegal formation, a source told the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin on Monday.
According to Volin’s source, the Dolphins believe Collins was on the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball, giving New England an illegal seven men on the line to the right of the ball.
[tweet https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/544601119813804034 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/544601942857891841 align=’center’]
Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington scooped up Collins’ block and raced 62 yards for a touchdown to put his team up 7-0.
A few angles of the play show that Collins appeared to be well behind the line of scrimmage, but Volin notes that Miami could argue his right foot was between two players on the line.
[tweet https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/544613095591927808 align=’center’]
It’s hard to tell from either angle, but it appears that Collins was far enough behind the line to avoid the penalty. Of course, the outcome of Miami’s complaint won’t have too much impact either way, as the most the Dolphins could expect to gain is a formal apology from the league, per Volin.
GIF via Reddit
