LOOK: Patriots get another favorable ruling on TD catch and everyone is very angry
The Pats won another challenge and fans are upset about it
The Patriots got a massive break in Week 15 when a would-be game-winning touchdown reception by Steelers tight end Jesse James was ruled incomplete. It was the right call, but the rule that caused it was very annoying and people got very upset about it because no one likes the Patriots to have nice things. You can only imagine the reaction when it happened again in Week 16 against the Bills.
Actually, wait, you can see the reaction, because people freaked out about it on social media. It started when Buffalo got into the red zone late in the first half against the Patriots.
Kelvin Benjamin doesn't get credit for the TD catch. Had his foot and toe scrape but not given possession during that brief time. pic.twitter.com/7QyCvPOE1a
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) December 24, 2017
According to Alberto Riveron, the NFL VP of Officiating, Benjamin did not have control by the time his foot left the ground.
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
Don't read the replies there unless you love reading swear words. The folks who saw that tweet weren't the only ones who disagreed with the call. There were plenty of folks who believed the Pats were getting a good deal on the play in question.
Only thing I can think of is they’re gonna say the ball moved as Benjamin took his right hand off the ball but nah, that was a TD.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 24, 2017
Wow. Amazed that Benjamin TD was overturned. Didn't not appear to be "clear and obvious" enough to overturn. They've turned TD's into 3 act plays. It's unbelievable.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) December 24, 2017
Benjamin TD stands against any team other than the Pats.
— Melissa Jacobs (@thefootballgirl) December 24, 2017
Al Riveron, Patriots MVP. This is unbelievable!!!! Or very believable!! How can anyone prove that Benjamin's back foot wasn't grazing a blade of grass?
— Joe Starkey (@JoeStarkey1) December 24, 2017
We need to get Gene Steratore out there to try to swipe an index card under Kelvin Benjamin's shoe.
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) December 24, 2017
Kelvin Benjamin with an obvious touchdown to anyone with eyes. But it's against the Patriots, and you know how these work. #YearoftheRefs
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) December 24, 2017
Here is the bigger problem: the guys in New York are spending too much time examining the nitty gritty of each play, breaking down the granular details of whether not a play was successful.
regarding the Buffalo no touchdown, nothing more irritating to an official than to make a great call and then someone in a suit in an office in New York incorrectly reverses it. It is more and more obvious that there isn't a standard for staying with the call on the field.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 24, 2017
The refs should be able to make a call on the field and then, if something was obviously and/or horribly wrong, overturn it. There should not be some 20-minute breakdown and then a guess as to whether or not a play was ruled correctly.
There is just too much being decided by inconsistent decision makers in New York when it comes to the outcomes of football games at this point. Even if the ruling was ultimately correct, there needs to be more decided on the field.
















