The New Orleans Saints felt harshly treated by an unusual call during their Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Turns out, while it seemed like the play was pretty much unprecedented in NFL history, it wasn’t. It has happened before to the Miami Dolphins.
While the Internet can be a mess in many ways, it does allow people to track down old sports footage that helps answer a lot of questions.
In this case, it involves a clip from a Dolphins game in which Brock Osweiler was playing quarterback against a fierce Texans pass rush.
In the end, it brings about the same odd rule that the Saints dealt with on Sunday.
Dolphins’ Backward Pass not a Fumble
On Oct. 25, 2018, Osweiler was under pressure from the Texans and began to wind up to throw.
His arm was going forward with the football in it as he was crushed in his chest by a pass rusher.
The hit caused Osweiler to throw the ball backward instead — or maybe you could say he lost it out of his hand backward.
Either way, the ball went backward, which generally is considered a fumble.
This wasn’t called a fumble, though, because by rule it’s not a fumble.
His arm was moving forward at the point of contact, so the fact that the throw changes direction doesn’t stop the intention of a forward pass.
“In #MIAvsHOU, @MiamiDolphins QB Brock Osweiler’s hand starts forward with control of the ball and the ball goes backwards because of defensive contact. Therefore, the result of the play is an incomplete pass.” – AL
Rulebook reference: https://t.co/Fd53f9Fb8M pic.twitter.com/N2TnPGbTag
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) October 26, 2018
It’s definitely a call that at the time didn’t quite seem right, either. But it’s exactly what the rulebook says should happen.
Applying This to Saints
The Saints had Chase Young get to Jared Goff in the first half on Sunday, and Young crushed Goff.
The ball bounced away, and the Saints actually returned it for a touchdown.
The referee reviewed it, though, and overturned the call by the same rule that happened with Osweiler.
The ruling was that Goff’s arm was going forward with the football before Young hit him, causing his direction to change and the ball to go backward.
“Oh it’s never happened before please show me it happening” 🤫 https://t.co/VMekXfxOT6
— Brenden 🤺 (@BHershTakes) September 14, 2026
The Saints and their fans were mostly confused. It’s certainly a rare play, and it’s very possible that indeed none of them had seen anything like it before.
It’s just ironic that there is actually that clip out there of Osweiler from eight years ago. A very similar thing happened, and the rule was controversial then, too.
In that case, the call would’ve benefited the Texans, who won the game anyway. The Saints weren’t as fortunate. The call went against them, and they lost a heartbreaker in overtime by a single point.
Saints Controversy Has Dolphins Precedent