Just in case you thought the no-call on the final play of the “Monday Night Football” game between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers was the right decision, ESPN put their Sport Science team on the case to prove you wrong.
Sport Science says the contact between Luke Kuechly and Rob Gronkowski occurred a third of a second before Robert Lester intercepted Tom Brady’s pass. By their calculations, had Gronk not been held by Kuechly, he would have been able to stop, adjust, and make a play on the ball.
“It would have been highly improbable for Gronk to make the catch, but certainly possible,” John Brenkus concludes.
You can watch the interesting segment below. The shot above is their simulation of how close Gronk may have been able to get to the pass.
