Three times this year the Patriots have benefited from the NFL not knowing what a catch is and being unable to admit it.
When Calvin Johnson caught a touchdown pass against the Bears on September afternoon in 2011, no one knew the crapstorm that would ensue over the next six years. Johnson’s very obvious touchdown was ruled incomplete and the rules for what constitutes a catch have fluctuated over the years to varying degrees.
Twice in two weeks — and three times in total this year — we’ve witnessed what appeared to be a catch only to have it ruled otherwise while the NFL stubbornly stick to its empty guns. Last week, the Patriots were able to win a game in Pittsburgh that likely will determine who hosts the AFC Championship game thanks to a go-ahead touchdown being reversed. This week, Kelvin Benjamin thought he had caught a go-ahead touchdown against New England only to have it inexplicably reversed.
Somewhere a Jets fan is re-living a reversed Austin Seferian-Jenkins touchdown that was the difference between an upset win and a status-quo loss.
If you missed it, here’s the Benjamin touchdown catch that was ruled an incomplete pass on Sunday.
If that’s not awful enough, here’s the official explanation for the call:
In #BUFvsNE, when Kelvin Benjamin gains control, his left foot is off the ground. The receiver only has one foot down in bounds with control. Therefore, it is an incomplete pass. -AL
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) December 24, 2017
That’s an incredible response given the video evidence that millions of people have seen. All of this ‘what is a catch?’ debate is punctuated by the NFL’s inability to just admit that it has no idea either.
Last week this was the catch that was determined to be an incomplete pass:
Proof positive that the league doesn’t actually care about what is and isn’t a catch is that the NFL actively advertises this as a highlight on the league’s official site as though it’s just part of the action. To those who think the catch rule is a conspiracy meant to boost conversation about the NFL, this doesn’t make you not want to believe that.
Earlier this year, the Jets had New England on the ropes when it was ruled Austin Seferian-Jenkins fumbled a touchdown out of bounds.
At the time, we all griped about the catch rule but sort of dismissed it in the bigger picture. Little did we know, much like that Calvin Johnson non-catch in 2011, what the future held.
This isn’t to say the NFL has a fix in for the Patriots — because that’s actually insane. Nothing in the league’s recent history with the Patriots would suggest it’s a relationship worthy hand holding. As much as it jades conspiracy theorists, the Patriots being on the beneficial end of these calls three times is purely coincidence.
The conversation here shouldn’t be about the Patriots it’s about the NFL not making the right call when one of its biggest franchises is under the lights. New England won all three of the games where a catch was reversed, which is a bad look for the NFL. It might not be in cahoots with the Patriots but the fact that the most hated team in the league is benefiting from the most despised rule is a problem.