A controversial call in Sunday’s Detroit Lions-New Orleans Saints game overturned what appeared to be the Saints’ first touchdown of the game. The decision hinged on the NFL’s interpretation of when a quarterback’s throwing motion begins in relation to contact from a defender.
The play occurred when Saints defensive end Chase Young hit Detroit quarterback Jared Goff while he was throwing. The pass traveled backward, was recovered by the Saints, and initially ruled a touchdown. However, the call was overturned after review.
NFL V.P. of instant replay Mark Butterworth explained the reasoning in a pool report to MLive.com’s Ben Raven. Butterworth stated that if a defender contacts the passer *before* the throwing motion starts, it can be ruled a backward pass. However, because Goff had already begun his throwing motion before Young’s contact, the pass was deemed a forward pass, even though it traveled backward.
“The determining factor is whether the passer begins his throwing motion before contact from the defender,” Butterworth said. He clarified that the throwing motion begins “as he begins to bring the ball up as a part of his windup” and that the contact caused the ball to go backward. Butterworth acknowledged the confusing nature of the rule, noting that a hit causing a backward pass after the throwing motion begins would still be considered a forward pass.
Butterworth drew a comparison to a play from last year’s Rams-Seahawks game involving Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold. In that instance, Darnold threw a backward pass but was not hit while throwing. Had he been hit, the play would have been ruled a forward pass, according to the rule. “It may seem strange, but it’s the rule,” Butterworth said. The Lions won the game 31-30 in overtime.
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