Ball don’t lie: 3 worst calls from Week 11 in the NFL
By Mark Powell
2. Baker Mayfield definitely fumbled
The NFC East is a train wreck, and the Eagles aren’t helping matters. Philadelphia lost in a close contest to the Browns on Sunday, 22-17. The Browns have made a habit of taking advantage of bad teams on their schedule, and the Eagles surely qualify as that at this juncture. Yet, would the result have remained the same if the officials hadn’t stopped Baker Mayfield’s forward progress on a play early in the fourth quarter?
Ref blows a quick whistle after Baker Mayfield already fumbled, and play is ruled dead for forward progress, not reviewable.
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) November 22, 2020
Browns would score a TD on the next play #PHIvsCLE pic.twitter.com/6cuVHag1xi
Forward progress exists for several reasons, the first of which is to ensure a runner isn’t pushed too far forward, or backwards, from the ball’s resting spot. The second is safety-related, as offensive players don’t want to be piled on for the sake of two-to-three yards. It makes sense. However, when a player is called down as a precaution before their forward progress has actually stopped, it’s a nuisance to the game itself.
Had Mayfield not been called down, and his forward progress continued, the Eagles had an obvious fumble. However, because the official acted too quickly, the Eagles couldn’t even challenge the play.