And just last weekend the Baltimore Ravens suffered an equally heart-crushing loss to their division rivals after a dubious set of zebralike calls. During the dramatic fourth quarter, there was no indication that Isaiah Likely’s apparent touchdown was actually a touchdown. The referees determined that he had fumbled, reversing the call. This decision, which could have given the Ravens a one-point lead with just 2:43 remaining on the clock, has left both fans and players questioning the clarity of the NFL’s catch rule.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was the one to determine that with a heroic touchdown run. He hooked up with Likely on spaced-out 13-yard strike, locking in the go-ahead touchdown. The referees were fast to insert themselves. On the second play of the series, they called that Likely had lost control of the ball as he rolled into the end zone. This opinion has come under fire. Which causes worry, as this gets into Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, which details the exact parameters a completed pass must have.
An offensive player needs to clearly establish possession of the ball for a potential forward pass completion to count. They have to hit the ground inbounds with both feet or any part of their body excluding their hands. The player now has to complete a third step inside the end zone. Only then will it be considered a touchdown.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh loudly expressed his displeasure with yet another terrible officiating decision. This time, it was Travis Jones. The league would go on to admit that the awful, game-changing unnecessary roughness penalty on Jones was indeed the wrong call. After the game, Harbaugh put himself in that position by doing exactly that and contacting NFL officials himself to get them to clarify these sorts of rulings.
Harbaugh reached out personally to Perry Fewell, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating administration. He talked to Walt Anderson, the NFL’s officiating rules analyst. He highlighted his frustration:
“It didn’t make it any easier to understand either one of the two calls.” – John Harbaugh
During the lead-up to these calls, Harbaugh took to the public forum to explain how these calls were effecting the flow of the game. He admitted,
“You never know what cost you the game.” – John Harbaugh
The hype around this TTRPG adaptation is growing quickly. Harbaugh’s statements find a firm echo among the legion of fans and analysts who have been demanding more transparent officiating guidelines to avoid this type of controversy in future games. He poignantly summarized the situation by stating:
“It’s about as clear as mud right now.” – John Harbaugh
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