Stop us if you’ve heard this before: An NFL player caught a controversial touchdown pass that put the league’s murky rules to the test and thoroughly confused everyone.
That’s exactly what happened once again late in the first half of the Detroit Lions’ game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. On third-and-goal, quarterback Matthew Stafford found wide receiver Golden Tate, who caught Stafford’s pass in the end zone before the ball popped out and into the hands of a Bears defender.
The referees initially ruled the play an interception, but after further review, they overturned the call and awarded Tate a touchdown.
We’ve seen plenty of controversial plays go the other way, most notably Calvin Johnson’s non-touchdown five years ago against the same Bears and Dez Bryant’s non-catch against the Green Bay Packers in last season’s NFC playoffs.
So why was Tate awarded a touchdown here when he barely had possession of the ball before it was knocked loose? In a video explanation, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino claimed Tate already had taken two steps and therefore established himself as a runner before losing possession.
Either way, the officials’ call had many very confused, including former referee Mike Pereira, who disagreed with the call.
Thumbnail photo via Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports Images
