Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
Two weeks in a row, the Bucs had similar plays that tested fans’ knowledge of the NFL rulebook, with fumbles in the final two minutes of a half recovered by teammates, leading to official reviews and questions about 10-second runoffs on both plays.
To help navigate a complex and tricky issue, we got help from FOX Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino, a former vice president of officiating for the NFL, who was kind enough to explain the officiating on both plays.
The first play came late in the Bucs’ Week 9 game at Houston as they were driving for a go-ahead touchdown. With 53 seconds left in the game, Baker Mayfield completed a pass to receiver Trey Palmer, but the ball was knocked loose and recovered downfield by teammate Mike Evans. When there are fewer than two minutes left in a half, a fumble cannot be advanced by a teammate and only by the fumbling player. So when Evans recovered the fumble, it was a dead ball and the play was over.
The ball was initially placed at the 10-yard line, where Evans had recovered it, and the game clock started running. But play was then stopped before the Bucs could snap the ball. Replays showed that Palmer had possession long enough for it to be a catch and fumble, as opposed to an incomplete pass that would put the ball back at the 29. The ball had been lined up incorrectly — the rule calls for the ball to be placed at the point of fumble or the recovery, whichever is farther back, so the ball was moved back to the 14-yard line.
Because of the review, the play was subject to a 10-second runoff, though Bucs coach Todd Bowles opted to use his final timeout to preserve the 10 seconds. The clock had stopped at 44 seconds after the play and had run down to 37 seconds before play was stopped for the review, but it was corrected to 49 seconds — the exact time of the fumble. The Bucs scored a touchdown on the next play, and the Texans drove down the…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/two-bucs-fumbles-two-reviews-dean-blandino-explains-what-happened
Author :
Publish date : 2023-11-14 14:42:43
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
