Why Two NFL Rules Experts Believe Apparent Jets TD Should Have Counted

If Sunday’s New England Patriots-New York Jets game was played one year earlier, the outcome could have been quite different.

The Jets fell to the Patriots 24-17 at MetLife Stadium, hampered in part by a controversial fourth-quarter call that overturned New York tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins’ touchdown and ruled it a touchback. Instead of tying the score, the call gave the Patriots the ball at their own 20-yard line, a huge momentum shift that helped New England escape with a victory.

So, did the officials get the call right? Former NFL vice presidents of officiating Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino don’t believe so. In a video posted Sunday night, Pereira and Blandino explained why Seferian-Jenkins’ touchdown should have stood as called.

Blandino argues that while Seferian-Jenkins briefly lost control of the ball, he was able to regain possession before leaving the field of play.

“Looking at it, it did look like he regained control and that left knee might have just touched in bounds before he slid out of bounds,” Blandino said.

Either way, Blandino and Pereira both seemed to be in agreement that there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence to overturn the call.

“There were a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘mights’ as you and I were looking at it, and usually that means the call on the field should stand,” Blandino added. “… “It didn’t seem clear and obvious to change the call on the field.”

Blandino would have been in charge of the NFL’s centralized replay system in New York had he not left his post in April, so it’s possible a different ruling would have been made under his leadership.

Patriots-Jets crew chief Tony Corrente defended his crew’s ruling after the game, however, claiming it was “pretty obvious” that Seferian-Jenkins lost control of the ball before going out of bounds.

The Patriots obviously were pleased with the result, but this second-guessing won’t make Jets fans very happy.

Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images