One of the NFL’s biggest issues over the past handful of years has been the question about what is a catch. And during a key time in the Super Bowl on Sunday, the question came up in a big way.
The Philadelphia Eagles had a 3rd-and-7 situation at the 11 when Nick Foles found Zach Ertz late in the fourth quarter. Ertz caught the ball and dived into the end zone. When he hit the ground, he lost control of the ball and then recovered it in the end zone:
No one knows what a catch is.
Maybe the Eagles have the lead.
Maybe it’s 4th down.
At least the whole world isn’t watching pic.twitter.com/bScks2lK1s— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) February 5, 2018
The officiating crew reviewed the scoring play and upheld the touchdown call. They determined that Ertz had already become a runner and broken the plane when he dived for the goal line, making it a touchdown before anything else happened.
The call gave the Eagles a 38-33 lead. Recall that in Week 15, the Patriots benefited when a similar play was overturned, helping New England top Pittsburgh.
