Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was hounded in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, including one turnover that sparked some controversy.
Rodgers was crushed on a pass in the second quarter, with his team trailing 10-0. After being hit by two Patriots defenders, Rodgers fumbled and the ball was scooped up by the Patriots. But some fans thought the play looked strikingly similar to a controversial call from last week, leading to some pushback for the NFL.
Some suggested that Rodgers’ second-quarter fumble looked similar to a Week 1 lay where Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff was ruled to be throwing and an apparent fumble was changed to an incomplete pass.
Aaron Rodgers’ Fumble Sparks NFL Controversy
Reporter Tyler Loechner suggested that if the rule had been applied the same way, the fumble for Rodgers would have been deemed an incomplete pass since his hand was moving forward even as the ball was knocked backward.
“Aaron Rodgers was super duper trying his very very best to throw the pass forward,” Loechner shared in a post on X. “Incomplete pass … Do I understand the sack fumble rule now?”
The Patriots continued to hound Rodgers, forcing another fumble in the fourth quarter and returning it for a touchdown and a 20-3 lead.
NFL Made Right Call on Jared Goff Fumble
Despite the controversy over last week’s call, The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson explained that the rule was actually applied correctly on the Goff pass. He noted that the NFL has specific rules for forward passes.
“If contact by an opponent materially affects a passer after the passer begins his throwing motion, it is a forward pass if he passes the ball, regardless of where the ball strikes the ground, a player, an official, or anything else,” the rulebook cites.
Robinson explained that in Goff’s pass, the Lions quarterback already started his throwing motion when he was hit and the ball knocked loose.
“Think about what that means. If a quarterback begins to throw but is hit before the ball moves forward, it’s an incomplete pass, not a fumble, if the ball touches the ground,” Robinson wrote.
Rodgers had not started his throwing motion when he was hit and the ball jarred loose against the Patriots, leading to the fumble.
NFL Under Fire for Aaron Rodgers Decision in Steelers-Patriots Game