The New England Patriots have an official NFL explanation for two controversial replay decisions that helped swing Sunday’s comeback victory over the Miami Dolphins.
NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth addressed the overturned calls involving wide receivers Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas following New England’s 24-19 victory on Nov. 1.
Both plays occurred during the third quarter, with Williams’ 43-yard touchdown initially ruled incomplete and Douglas’ fourth-down reception originally spotted short of the first-down marker.
The explanations were provided in a pool report conducted by ESPN reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques and shared by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
The two reversals were crucial as New England wiped out a 13-3 halftime deficit to improve to 5-3.
NFL Explains Why Patriots’ Kyle Williams Was Awarded Touchdown
The first disputed decision occurred with 9:30 remaining in the third quarter when Drake Maye connected with Williams on a deep pass down the field.
Williams appeared to lose control of the football as he landed in the end zone, prompting officials to rule the pass incomplete.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel challenged the ruling, and replay officials reversed the decision, awarding New England a 43-yard touchdown.
Butterworth explained that Williams had possession and crossed the goal line before losing control of the football.
“The wide receiver completes the process of the catch and once he completes the process of the catch, the ball is already over the goal line, breaking the plane of the goal line, which ends the play,” Butterworth said.
He added that Williams lost control only after the touchdown had been completed.
With the replay officials determining that Williams had satisfied the requirements for a catch before the football came loose, the touchdown cut Miami’s advantage to 13-10 and gave the Patriots their first touchdown of the afternoon.
As the Associated Press reported (via CBS), New England outscored Miami 21-0 during its second-half surge before the Dolphins added a late touchdown.
NFL Clarifies DeMario Douglas’ Fourth-Down Conversion
The second reversal came with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter as New England faced fourth-and-2 at Miami’s 23-yard line.
Maye completed a pass to Douglas, but officials initially ruled that Miami had stopped the receiver short of the first-down marker.
The decision would have meant a turnover on downs, giving Miami possession with a three-point lead.
Not so fast. Officials reviewed the play and determined Douglas had put the football far enough in front to snag the first down before being brought to the ground.
Butterworth explained why the review happened without a challenge from Vrabel.
“A failure on fourth down is an automatic booth review and the game was stopped via replay,” Butterworth said.
He also identified the camera angle that allowed officials to reverse the original ruling.
“The line to gain pylon shows that the ball reached the line to gain prior to any body part being down by contact,” Butterworth explained.
The reversal allowed New England’s offense to stay on the field. And Maye scored on a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 59 seconds left in the third quarter, catapulting the Patriots to their first lead of the game, 17-13.
The Patriots quarterback finished with 199 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and another score on the ground.
Patriots Get NFL Explanation on 2 Overturned Calls in Dolphins Win