Sunday’s Saints-Lions game was a thriller, with Detroit pulling out a 31-30 overtime victory, but honestly, the biggest talking point isn’t the final score. It’s that first-half controversy around a strip-sack-score reversal that cost New Orleans their first touchdown of the game. That call was a head-scratcher then, and it looks even worse knowing the Saints lost by just one point in OT.
Wait, The Ball Went *Backward*?
Alright, so here’s the play everyone’s still buzzing about. Lions quarterback Jared Goff dropped back to throw. Saints defensive end Chase Young absolutely drilled Goff right as he was winding up for the pass. The ball flew out, and get this, it clearly went backward. The Saints scooped it up and sprinted it in for what everyone thought was a touchdown. The ruling on the field was a score, pure and simple. But then, the refs reviewed it, and somehow, the call got overturned. Like, what?! The Saints were robbed of their first touchdown because of this baffling decision.
The NFL’s ‘Logic’ Is a Head-Scratcher
After the game, NFL V.P. of instant replay Mark Butterworth tried to explain the madness in a pool report. He told Ben Raven of MLive.com that the “determining factor” is whether the passer has started his throwing motion *before* contact. Butterworth clarified, “Because Goff already started his throwing motion and then the defender contacted him, it is therefore a forward pass.” He went on to say the motion starts as the passer “begins to bring the ball up as a part of his windup.” So, even though the defender’s contact made the pass *go backwards*, the ruling was a forward pass because Goff was already in his motion. It’s confusing because, again, the pass visibly went backward! This kind of logic could lead to some truly nutty results down the line, and frankly, it just feels wrong when the ball is literally flying the wrong way.
This controversial reversal was a massive moment in that game. Losing a potential touchdown in the first half of a game you end up losing by just one point in overtime is brutal. The Saints had a golden opportunity for a score, and a questionable call snatched it away. You just have to wonder how different that 31-30 final score would’ve looked without that reversal.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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