Pretty Bad Quality, But This Was The Play
In yesterday's Thanksgiving matinee between the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions, a new rule altered the outcome of a game at the expense of the Lions.
Late in the third quarter, Texans running back Justin Forsett was rapped up and brought to the ground early in the run, but according to the referees, his knee or elbow never touched the ground. Forsett then bounced back up and scampered the rest of the 81 yards for a touchdown.
Forsett was down by contact, and it was clear while watching it at home where they show the replay hundreds of times. In past years, a coach would use one of his two challenges in this situation, and they would win it. However, this season a rule was implemented that said all turnovers and touchdowns will automatically be reviewed if necessary. This situation was one of those plays that would have been reviewed.
However another rule was implemented by the NFL, which states that if a coach throws a challenge flag on one of these plays, it will result in a 15 yard penalty against the coach and the replay is no longer able to be reviewed.
It seems like a stupid rule by the league, but they argue that this rule is in place as a a delay of game penalty. The replay official will make sure that all plays that are turned over or scored for touchdowns will get reviewed, but by throwing the flag, the game is delayed and it disrupts the game.
One Last Thing: In my opinion the ruling is a little harsh, and in the heat of a game, any coach will do whatever they can to make sure that the play gets challenged. The league is reviewing this rule because this is the second time in as many weeks that a coach has committed this mistake. Last week, Atlanta Falcons head coach challenged a fumble, and had to face the same consequences. The only difference was the Falcons won their game.
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