The fact remains that nobody who watches the NFL can be entirely sure what a catch is anymore, but it worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
Nick Foles hooked up with running back Corey Clement from 22 yards out on what was ruled a catch on the field. It was not clear, however, that Clement had full control of the ball when he went out of the back of the end zone, and the play was reviewed.
Here's the Corey Clement touchdown reception pic.twitter.com/2dqhkfJAeb
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) February 5, 2018
The NBC broadcast — and, in light of the league’s unpredictable and sometimes inconsistent catch rules, many fans — were confident that the call would be overturned, but it was allowed to stand. FOX’s Dean Blandino and Mike Pereira explained why.
Issue is control. Looks like he has it initially and gets both feet down in bounds. There is some movement of the ball, but don’t think enough to say loss of control. Call should stand.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) February 5, 2018
I agree with the stands. It was close but the initial ruling dictated. Good for Riveron/Yurk to stay with the standard that it not obvious that the call was wrong. Slight movement of the ball and slight bobble but slight is not enough to overturn.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) February 5, 2018
It certainly had the look of a catch by most reasonable standards, but there’s always some doubt on plays like this based on the confusing precedent that has been set at times. The NFL probably did the right thing in the end.
