Sunday’s Saints-Lions game served up a first-half controversy that absolutely robbed New Orleans of what should have been their first touchdown, and honestly, it shines a giant spotlight on one of the NFL’s most bewildering rules. You know the one: where a backward-moving ball is somehow a forward pass. The Lions ended up winning that wild one 31-30 in overtime, but the real talk needs to be about this bonkers rule.
The Play That Blew My Mind and the NFL’s Wild Explanation
Here’s how it went down: Lions quarterback Jared Goff was dropping back, trying to make a play. Saints defensive end Chase Young got to him, making contact while Goff was already in his throwing windup. The ball popped out, it went backward, the Saints scooped it up, and they took it to the house for what everyone thought was a touchdown. The ruling on the field? Touchdown. But then the flags flew, the replay booth got involved, and the entire thing was overturned. I’m telling you, you could hear the collective groan of Saints fans clear across the country.
NFL V.P. of instant replay Mark Butterworth jumped on a pool report with Ben Raven of MLive.com after the game to explain this head-scratcher. Butterworth broke it down, saying that if the defender hits the passer *before* the throwing motion starts, then it’s a backward pass. But here’s the kicker, the one that got the Saints: “Because Goff already started his throwing motion and then the defender contacted him, it is therefore a forward pass.” The “determining factor” is when that throwing motion begins. He said that motion starts “as he begins to bring the ball up as a part of his windup.” So, even though the defender’s contact made the pass *go backward*, it’s still a forward pass by rule. Wild, right?
Why This Rule is a Headache for the 12s and Sam Darnold
This rule is confusing because, hello, the pass literally went backward! It defies logic! And it could absolutely lead to some truly “nutty” results. Imagine a hit on the quarterback that spins him completely around *after* he starts that windup, and the ball sails directly backward. According to this rule, that’s still a forward pass. It’s different from the fumble rule, where the ball is loose before the arm moves forward. Here, the arm *does* move forward, but because the hit happens *after* the windup, that backward movement of the ball is somehow a forward pass.
This isn’t just a hypothetical nightmare, either. Some folks are already pointing to a “nutty” two-point play from last year’s Rams-Seahawks game as a contradictory outcome. Our very own Seattle quarterback, Sam Darnold, threw the ball backward on that play. The key difference, though? Darnold wasn’t hit while he was throwing the ball. If Darnold *had been contacted* in the same way Goff was, guess what? That would’ve been ruled a forward pass too! It’s the rule, they say. And while it seems strange, a backward pass being a forward pass because of when a QB gets hit? That’s just a recipe for frustration.
For us 12s, watching our Hawks and Sam Darnold on that Lumen Field turf, this rule is something we gotta keep in mind. This Sunday’s controversy isn’t just about the Saints and Lions, it’s about how every play, every hit, every judgment call under this obscure rule can turn a game on its head. Let’s hope the football gods are on our side when those crunch-time calls come down, because this rule is just begging for more head-shaking moments.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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