The Baltimore Ravens were crying foul after a controversial call led to an upset loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The Ravens dropped to 1-1 with a 24-17 loss but almost all of the discussion after the game surrounded a controversial 4th-and-1 touchdown rush by Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley was the designated pool reporter for the game and was able to ask NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth about the controversial call.
Here is the complete text of their conversation posted to Hensley’s official X account:
Hensley: Was there clear evidence that Tyler Shough crossed the goal line on the fourth down quarterback sneak (1:32 remaining, New Orleans 4th and 1, Baltimore 1 yard-line)?
Mark Butterworth: “The key here is the ruling on the field is a touchdown. So, we need clear and obvious video evidence that he didn’t score in order to reverse the on-field ruling. We stopped the game, it’s a high-leverage play, we wanted to make sure to either find clear and obvious video evidence that he didn’t score or to confirm the call on the field. We exhausted all available angles and could not prove clear and obvious that he did not break the plane of the goal line.”
Hensley: During any of the replays, did it show that Tyler Shough lost control of the ball at any point while trying to get the ball across the goal line?
Butterworth: “No. If he did lose control of the ball, we would need to find, after he regained possession, if the ball broke the plane of the goal line. In that mass of players, we weren’t able to find clear and obvious video evidence that the ball did not break the plane of the goal line. Therefore, the ruling on the field stands.”
Loss Dropped Baltimore Ravens to 1-1 Overall
The Ravens went from looking like 1 of the NFL’s most impressive teams in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts to suffering 1 of the NFL’s biggest upsets in Week 2.
The game ended on an ugly Lamar Jackson interception on Baltimore’s final drive.
“LAMAR JACKSON WITH ONE OF THE MOST AWFUL INTERCEPTIONS YOU WILL SEE WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE,” ML Football wrote on its official X account. “A COMPLETE CHOKE JOB BY LAMAR. ONCE AGAIN. WOW.”
“We were just trying to make something happen,” Jackson told Ravens Vault’s Sarah Ellison. “It was the same group of guys out there and I feel there was a little fatigue … It was a timing thing. I feel like I want that pass back tho.”
More Reactions to Shough’s Non-TD Touchdown
The reaction, almost universally, was that the Ravens were the victim of a really bad call.
“There is ZERO chance Tyler Shough got into the end zone on this play,” Ravens reporter Tyler Shough wrote on his official X account. “The Ravens were robbed.”
NFL Issues Statement on Controversial Ravens Loss to Saints