Officials Create Confusing Scene Late In Patriots' 17-16 Win Over Jets
BOSTON (CBS) -- Given the dozens of camera angles, the presence of sideline reporters and broadcasters and the looks of millions of eyeballs focused in on any given play, it stands to reason that it would be very unlikely for a scenario to arise in which seemingly every single spectator has no idea what is happening.
Yet that was the case at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and it came at the game's most crucial moment.
With the Patriots clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady connected with Danny Amendola on a wide receiver screen. The receiver was tackled very close to the 48-yard line, which is where the Patriots needed to get in order to pick up a first down.
The officials called for the chains to come onto the field, and the television broadcast appeared to clearly show the football about an inch shy of the first-down marker. Yet referee Brad Allen signaled for a first down.
This signal was not completely captured on the broadcast, and announcers Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots did not see it either. Just about everyone watching the game assumed a fourth-and-inches play was upcoming with the game on the line, but instead they saw Rex Ryan's challenge flag fly.
The Jets coach was challenging the spot, which seemed an odd decision if the ball was indeed spotted shy of the first down marker. Yet it was at that point that it was revealed that the Patriots had actually been lining up for a first-and-10, beneficiaries of a generous, borderline-bad spot of the football.
And despite the replay making it seem like Amendola might have been short of the first down, the officials did not overturn the play. The Jets lost a timeout from the failed challenge, and the Patriots were then able to run out the clock and hang on to a narrow 17-16 win.
"I don't know. I thought it was close," Amendola said after the game. "I thought the spot was -- it was going to be close. It came down to review. It was apparently enough to get a first down, so we'll take it."
Former head of NFL officiating Mike Pereira tweeted that part of the confusion stemmed from the camera angle not being directly straight-on, leading to the ball appearing to be short.
Last year's meeting between these two teams at MetLife Stadium also ended in somewhat chaotic fashion, after officials ruled that Chris Jones had lined up illegally on a missed Jets field goal in overtime. The penalty, a rarely called "illegal pushing" infraction, gave the Jets 15 free yards and a first down. They kicked the game-winning field goal shortly thereafter.
With the win on Sunday, the Patriots improved to 12-3 with the win, while the Jets fell to 3-12.
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