Wait…What Just Happened? : Second Act

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In yesterday’s Giants at Ravens game, Baltimore QB Joe Flacco threw a pass to receiver Jacoby Jones, which he caught while crossing the pylon. The play was initially ruled a touchdown, but was overturned after the review by the officials.

Take a minute to watch the video here.

The rule book states that to be ruled a catch the receiver, “must first control the ball, then get both feet clearly down and finally maintain control of the ball long enough to perform an act common to the game. Acts common to the game are described as being able to pitch the ball, pass it, advance with it or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.” (Thanks to Mike Pereira for the analysis and explanation.)

The play was overturned because the officials felt that Jones hadn’t completed a second act common to the game.

The waters of the call are murkied by the fact that Jones was falling to the ground while catching the pass, which is legal, but denotes a slightly different application of the above-stated rule. It’s still a catch if the receiver has control of the ball and the ability to perform a “second act common to the game” while he’s breaking the plane (the pylon/the end zone line) to score a touchdown, even if his feet are not firmly planted vertically.

It would appear that Jones completed all of the required criteria. He had control of the ball and was able to stretch it out past the pylon, which would be considered a second act.

I’m honestly not sure why the call was overturned. The officials need to have “indisputable evidence” in order to overturn a call, and they (namely head ref Carl Cheffers) felt they had indisputable evidence that he did not complete a second act common to the game. I’m not sure how they came upon that decision, but luckily, it had no ill effect on the overall score since the Ravens won the game (handily) anyway.

What do you guys think? Touchdown or no touchdown?

Author: Beka

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