The referees cost the Bears with a bad play on the field but a correct incompletion call after a controversial review late in the second quarter of Sunday’s NFC Wild Card playoff game between Chicago and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Bears were driving before halftime and had a 2nd-and-3 at the Eagles 35 with just under a minute to go in the half. Mitch Trubisky threw a pass to Anthony Miller, who appeared to catch the ball and take a few steps before being stripped by Cre’Von LeBlanc. Nobody recovered the loose ball, which was picked up by an official as players stood around like the play had ended.
The ruling on the field was an incompletion, but the officials decided to review the play.
After a review, official Tony Corrente said the ruling on the field would stand. He then went on to say “there was no clear recovery of the football. Therefore, the ball will go back.”
There are two parts of that statement that created confusion.
Saying the ruling on the field stands means there was an incomplete pass. However, saying there was “no clear recovery of the football” implies there was a catch and then a fumble. The ball should have belonged to the Bears at the spot of the fumble in that case.
NBC announcer Al Michaels wondered aloud whether the officials were just making things up on the fly, while former NFL official Terry McAulay said he thought they were.
From the NFL rule book: "If there is no video evidence of a clear recovery or the ball going out of bounds,the ruling ofincomplete stands."
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) January 6, 2019
However, the referees actually got things right. The rule says if there is no video evidence of a clear recovery, the ruling of incomplete stands.
Neither McAulay nor Michaels nor Collinsworth knew the rule, which made the officials look bad. The refs actually got it right, though their decision to recover the ball after the fumble potentially cost the Bears. The rule should be changed, because any outcome that did not have this as a catch for the Bears and them getting the ball at the spot of the fumble seems wrong.
