5 calls by NFL referees more controversial than the infamous 'Tuck rule'
NFL analysts, of both the amateur and professional variety, often claim that one play can change the course of a game. In the case of the New England Patriots and their opponents in the 2001-02 AFC Divisional playoff, one play changed the course of, perhaps, the next two whole decades.
The infamous "Tuck Rule" game, where a forced Tom Brady-fumble for the Oakland Raiders turned into an incomplete pass that kept a tying New England drive en route to a victory, is back in the spotlight after ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series centered its latest installment on that snowy January night. Such invocation of one of the most obscure (and since rescinded) mandates in the NFL rulebook has been blamed for nearly two decades of Patriot dominance. The Raiders, having since relocated to Las Vegas, have never truly recovered from the incident. The team made it to the Super Bowl the following season but have reached the playoffs only twice since then.
Yet, as seems to be tradition during the league's postseason, several other questionable calls rise to the occasion in challenging the controversial incompetion.
Which NFL calls proved to be more controversial than the Tuck Rule?
OTD 1980
The Mike Renfro "TD or NO TD" controversial ruling in the 1979 AFC Championship:
Officials ruled he was out-of-bounds, but officials' use of instant replay was not implemented until 1986.
This play (among others) was "Exhibit A" in the case made for use of replay. https://t.co/1cIuInxpr2
-1980: Pittsburgh Stealer
It felt like only divine intervention could stop the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s...the NFL equivalent, however, kept it alive. Facing a stout challenge from the Houston Oilers in the 1979-80 AFC title game, a controversial call forever changed momentum and, perhaps, proved that, even in a supposed golden age of football, no one knew what a catch was. A potential tying touchdown for Mike Renfro was ruled incomplete as officials determined that he did not have control of the ball, despite getting his feet down. The call, made in the third quarter, changed the course of the game. Houston was forced to settle for a field goal, and the Steelers put in 10 unanswered to punch their Super Bowl ticket in 27-13 fashion. They'd cap off one of the NFL's first dynasties with a 31-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV.
January 8, 2000: The Music City Miracle. AFC Wild Card Round.
Bills 16
Titans 22 https://t.co/UyvlDS341A
-2000: Music City Malarkey
The Buffalo Bills and their fans can sympathize with the Raiders in the sense that one controversial call upended their franchise for years after the fact. Buffalo seemed poised to escape from Nashville with a 16-15 victory over the favored Tennessee Titans, with a deep kickoff seemingly poised to run out the clock and move the Bills forward. The team's decision to start Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie, however, proved not to be the only controversial throwing decision that afternoon: debate still reigns over Frank Wychek's fateful toss to Kevin Dyson on the return. Many of the naked eyes assembled determined it was an obvious forward pass and, thus, illegal, but replay review declared there was no indisputable evidence to render Dyson's ensuing score null and void. It would take the Bills over a decade to return to the NFL postseason.
23 years ago during the 1999 NFC Championship Game, I caught a 13 yard pass from @realshaunking with 47 seconds left. Little did I know, this would eventually become one of the most controversial plays in NFL history and lead to the creation of The Bert Emanuel Rule! #ItwasaCatch https://t.co/1d0zFSEwIV
-2000: Bert's Hurt
You know a call proves controversial when it spawns its own NFL rule. The Titans' fellow Super Bowl XXXIV participants, the St. Louis Rams, were, likewise, not without controversy, as a potential winning drive from their Tampa Bay opponents was stifled when officials erased an 11-yard completion earned by Bert Emanuel from Shaun King that would've situated the Buccaneers at the cusp of the red zone. St. Louis took advantage of two subsequent incompletions to advance to the big game in Atlanta. The league adjusted its catch rules in the following season, affording receivers a catch if they maintained possession and control of the ball, even if it hit the ground. Surely, no catch controversies have ensued since.
Jan. 5, 2003: Giants lose bizarre wild-card game to 49ers on failed field goal and questionable no pass interference call #ThisDayInGIFs https://t.co/SvP0NBUu7N
-2003: A Giant mistake
The New York Giants, perhaps, had little business escaping with a win in the 2002-03 NFC Wild Card playoffs. After all, the team had blown a 38-14 lead to the San Francisco 49ers in just over 16 minutes of game action and officially trailed 39-38 in the final minute of play. Nonetheless, a chance for advancement loomed in the form of Matt Bryant's 41-yard field goal in the final seconds. It never went off, as a poor snap from Trey Junkin (his second of the game) forced holder Matt Allen to desperately launch the ball downfield. Lineman Rich Seubert had a chance at it, but was clearly interfered by defender Chike Okeafor before the pass could get to him. A flag was, indeed, thrown, but the refs tossed it for Seubert, who was ruled to be an illegal man downfield. But the NFL later determined that, not only was Seubert an eligible receiver, but that Okeafor should've been assessed an interference call. While another New York blocker, Tam Hopkins, was also said to be illegally downfield, offsetting penalties should've been called, bestowing the Giants one final 41-yard attempt.
SOUN FX _NFLCowboys vs. Packers_ Dez Bryant_s Non Catch _ 2014
Divisional Round Playoff ✭
🎥 SOUN FX _NFL https://t.co/TKqvKuYgRG
-2015: Dez-aster
To this day, Dallas Cowboys fans continue to insist that "Dez caught it." At no point does Bryant's fateful grab from the hands of Tony Romo appear to hit the ground in the late stages of America's Team's Divisional tilt in Green Bay. Yet, NFL officials determined he was done in by his attempt to make a "football move," a desperate attempt to get to the end zone that led to the Cowboys never getting the ball back. With the Cowboys standing as the most polarizing team in football, debate over Bryant's act rages among NFL fans to this day and will likely fail to dissipate anytime soon.