Facing a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter of Sunday's NFC title game, Packers fullback Aaron Ripkowski broke free for a big gain to seemingly set up his team with a fresh set of downs in the red zone. The only problem? He lost control of the football and fumbled.
In the process, he started what would become the biggest controversy of the first half.
What happened next is the important part. At the 1-yard line, Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins jumped on the ball and rolled into the end zone. After an automatic review of the play since it was a turnover, the officials awarded the Falcons a touchback and spotted the ball at the 20-yard line.
Ripkowski is RIPPED.@JayCar_11 forces and recovers the Packers fumble! #GBvsATL#NFLPlayoffshttps://t.co/FCvLs6QFLX
— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2017
As everyone on Twitter immediately pointed out, it looked like Collins recovered the ball at the 1-yard line and rolled into the end zone. And that, according to most Twitter referees, should've resulted in a safety for the Packers, because it didn't look like his momentum actually carried him into the end zone.
And if the officials ruled that Collins' momentum carried him into the end zone, the ball should've been placed at the 1-yard line -- not the 20.
From the NFL's rulebook:
Examples of Safety:
(a) Blocked punt goes out of kicking team's end zone. Impetus was provided by punting team. The block only changes direction of ball, not impetus.
(b) Ball carrier retreats from field of play into his own end zone and is downed. Ball carrier provides impetus.
(c) Offensive team commits a foul and spot of enforcement is behind its own goal line.
(d) Player on receiving team muffs punt and, trying to get ball, forces or illegally kicks (creating new impetus) it into end zone where it goes out of the end zone or is recovered by a member of the receiving team in the end zone.
Examples of Non-Safety:
(a) Player intercepts a pass with both feet in-bounds in the field of play and his momentum carries him into his own end zone. Ball is put in play at spot of interception.
(b) Player intercepts a pass in his own end zone and is downed in the end zone, even after recovering in the end zone. Impetus came from passing team, not from defense. (Touchback)
(c) Player passes from behind his own goal line. Opponent bats down ball in end zone. (Incomplete pass)
Those bolded sections are the important parts, because they explain why the Packers should've been awarded a safety if Collins rolled into the end zone on his own. They also explain why the Falcons should've been awarded possession at the spot of recovery (the 1-yard line) if Collins' own momentum carried him into the end zone.
Shortly after, the NFL explained why the Falcons got that touchback.
According to the NFL's head of officiating, Dean Blandino, the officials deemed that Collins' leg was actually touching the goal line when he recovered the ball, which means the point of recovery was the end zone, which means the ball gets moved out to the 20-yard line due to a touchback.
Gained possession with left leg touching the goal line so it is a touchback. Momentum and ball at 1-yd line if body part not in EZ.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) January 22, 2017
At first, it didn't look like that was the case. It looked like he recovered the ball before rolling into the end zone, especially from this angle:
Note the green space between Collins' leg and the goal line. However, the problem with relying on that photo is that it's not entirely clear when he gains complete possession of the football.
It's also difficult to tell from the original TV angle.
Below is the moment I feel comfortable saying that he definitely has possession and, for what it's worth, he's on the goal line. But again, it's hard to say when he grabs the ball and controls it.
Maybe Collins actually gained possession a split second earlier. Maybe he gained possession when his leg made contact with the end zone. I'm not certain.
But if he did possess the ball before entering the end zone, it ended up costing the Packers 19 yards and maybe even a safety -- depending on how you feel about the momentum part.
To make matters worse for the Packers, the Falcons scored nine plays later, extending their lead to 17-0, and they tacked on one more score before entering halftime up 24-0.
