The Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets 23-20 on Monday Night Football in Week 6. The Jets fell short despite their recent coaching change, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw an interception with 1:52 remaining.
Rodgers's game-losing interception almost didn't happen as he fumbled on the very first play of the drive, but the turnover was overturned by the eye in the sky as unseen NFL officials ruled that Rodgers had been throwing a pass.
Here's what Rodgers's pass attempt looked like.
FUMBLE or PASS?
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) October 15, 2024
Refs rule this a pass. #BUFvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/gdYkFSy3Ca
Another look at the fumble by Rodgers that was reversed #BUFvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/6zleoKNlPe
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) October 15, 2024
He may have been considering throwing the ball, but once he got hit, he pretty clearly decided to try and hold onto the ball. Then the ball just slipped out of his hand. Sure, it was probably a fumble, but the NFL rules state that both catches and throws must be very complicated.
In this case, the decision to call this a pass meant Rodgers got to throw the pass that ultimately decided the game. If this had stayed a fumble, Rodgers and the Jets would have had something to complain about. Instead, they can only deal with the result of Rodgers's final legitimate throw of the game which ended in an interception.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Rodgers's Game-Losing Interception Set Up by Refs Reversing Fumble.
