The New England Patriots got the benefit of the doubt on a fumble in the third quarter of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Patriots had a 3rd and 1 at their 45 and Tom Brady ran a QB sneak. He got the first down, but he did not come out of the pileup with the ball. The officials initially gave the ball to New England.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin challenged the ruling on the field. After a review, the ruling on the field stood because the officials determined there was not enough evidence to overturn the call.
Here’s what VP of Officiating Dean Blandino said about the call:
No video evidence of either team recovering the loose ball. By rule call on field stands.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) January 23, 2017
Replays appeared to show that Brady lost the ball before hitting the ground … and the Steelers emerged with the football. Yet the ball stuck with the Pats.
New England ended up kicking a field goal on the drive to go up 20-9.
