Jared Goff’s strange-looking play in the second quarter of the Lions’ win over the Saints ended up going Detroit’s way for a simple reason: the NFL rulebook says it should have.
The sequence looked messy in real time. Goff was sacked by Chase Young, the ball came loose, and New Orleans recovered it in the end zone with a chance to tie the game at 7. Officials, though, blew it dead before the extra point and sent it to review.
The key question was whether Goff’s release counted as a lateral after the hit, or whether the play should be ruled an incomplete pass. Even though the ball traveled backward, Goff’s arm was already moving forward when he let it go.
Replay officials ruled it an incomplete pass, giving Detroit a much-needed break. The Lions didn’t turn that possession into points, punting it away, but the Saints were shut out the rest of the way while Detroit eventually stretched the lead to 21.
Vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth laid out the logic in the post-game pool report:
“If the defender contacts the passer prior to the passer starting his throwing motion, then it can be ruled as a backward pass. Because Goff already started his throwing motion and then the defender contacted him, it is therefore a forward pass.”
He said it again in the report:
“If the defender contacts the passer prior to the passer starting his throwing motion, then it can be ruled as a backward pass. Because Goff already started his throwing motion and then the defender contacted him, it is therefore a forward pass.”
The league’s rulebook backs that up. Under Rule 3, Section 21, Article 3, item 1, if an opponent materially affects a passer after the passer begins his throwing motion, it is a forward pass if he throws the ball, no matter where it lands or who it hits.
After the game, Goff said he thought it was a good call, though he also admitted he didn’t know the rule.
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