The New England Patriots had a late touchdown overturned in their loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and many people feel the play should serve as a catalyst for a rule change.
The Patriots were trailing 15-10 with just over a minute left in their game against the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. On 2nd-and-10 at the Miami 12-yard line, Jacoby Brissett completed a pass to rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Ja'Lynn Polk catches the TD for the #Patriots, but it is called an incomplete. pic.twitter.com/SfZ8NgOps4
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) October 6, 2024
It looked like the Patriots were going to take a 16-15 lead, but the play was automatically reviewed and the call was overturned. Replays showed that the heel of Polk’s right foot landed out of bounds. As FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino explained, a receiver’s entire foot has to land inbounds if the receiver is completing a “normal step,” which is different from a toe drag.
So you can drag or tap your second toe for a catch, but this isn't a catch by Ja'Lynn Polk?
What are we doing? pic.twitter.com/yFVveRlYZp
— Kevin Moore (@KMooreTV) October 6, 2024
Had Polk kept his foot straight and dragged it, the pass would have been complete. But since his foot came down out of bounds as part of a step, the “heel-toe” rule applied and the result was an incompletion.
Polk expressed his frustration over the call with a screenshot on social media:
Ja’Lynn Polk on instagram. pic.twitter.com/5Id5AQyD01
— Savage (@SavageSports_) October 7, 2024
The officials made the correct call. The big question is whether the rule needs to change. One line of thought is that it makes no sense for a player’s entire foot to have to come down inbounds on a catch like the one Polk made when in other situations the very tip of a toe is enough.
Had Polk’s catch been ruled a touchdown, the Patriots probably would have won. Instead, they lost their fourth straight and could be considering a major change heading into Week 6.
