Why Patriots Weren’t Awarded Go-Ahead Touchdown Vs. Dolphins

Ja’Lynn Polk snagged what originally looked like the go-ahead touchdown for the New England Patriots on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Upon further review, Polk’s right heel came down out of bounds after tapping his left foot and right toe in bounds. By NFL rules, that makes the pass incomplete. The Patriots turned the ball over on downs and could not score on one final possession with under one minute to play in the 15-10 loss to Miami.

“If any part of the foot hits out of bounds during the normal continuous motion of taking a step (heel-toe or toe-heel), then the foot is out of bounds,” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth transcribed from the rulebook. “A player is inbounds if he drags his foot, or if there was a delay between the heel-toe or toe-heel touching the ground.”

Polk finished the day with just one catch for 13 yards while Brissett went 18-for-34 with 160 passing yards as the Patriots struggled to score points yet again.

The Patriots’ fourth consecutive loss drops New England’s record to 1-4. They host the 4-1 Houston Texans in Week 6 at Gillette Stadium. That marks the second of three home games for New England in October.