The New York Jets were on the wrong end of an officiating mistake during their Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The Jets put together a strong drive on their opening possession at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. They ended up with 3rd-and-goal from the 7-yard line, and Justin Fields tried to throw a screen pass to running back Breece Hall. Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. made a nice play to get into the throwing lane and deflect the pass.
What happened next was unexpected. The ball bounced off of Fowler’s helmet and hit the FOX Skycam.
Skycam took a hit here 😅 pic.twitter.com/t4b4pMODiE
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
The play was ruled an incomplete pass, and nobody seemed to think much of it. New York settled for a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted, the play should not have counted. NFL rules state that if a ball hits the Skycam, the down should be replayed. The ball is considered immediately dead and the game clock is reset to the time it was at when the ball was snapped. There is also no exception for a loose ball that deflects off of a player.
To make matters worse for the Jets, the play was reviewable. Replay assist could have intervened, and head coach Aaron Glenn also could have thrown his challenge flag. He did not.
The Jets wound up losing 37-22 in a game that was never close. At the very least, they should have had another shot at the 3rd-and-goal play and an opportunity to score a touchdown rather than settle for a field goal.
