The Patriots’ 33–26 loss at the Vikings on Thursday night did not come without a fair bit of controversy. The two teams traded scores throughout the third quarter, but New England’s final scoring drive initially looked to end with a touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Henry, before it was controversially overturned on review.
On third-and-goal from Minnesota’s six-yard line, Mac Jones found Henry at the goal line. The tight end appeared to stretch the ball over the line for the score, before bobbling it after hitting the ground and rolling. On first glance, it still looked like a clear score as Henry broke the plane. The review showed the ball hitting the turf as Henry came to the ground before the tight end lost control of it, and it was enough for the officials to reverse the touchdown, leaving New England to kick a field goal to go up 26–23. The Vikings would tie the game with a field goal on the ensuing drive, and scored a go-ahead touchdown on their next drive, which proved to be the game-winner.
Coach Bill Belichick was asked after the game whether the decision to overturn the call was explained to the Patriots. He was not having it with the question.
“Why don’t you guys go to the officials with your pool reporter and ask them about the play, and let them explain it to you?” Belichick responded. “Right, Isn’t that what you do? Thank you.”
Reporters did exactly that, and Walt Anderson—the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating—explained the decision.
“Because as he’s going to the ground, he has to maintain control of the ball upon contacting the ground,” Anderson said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “The term that’s commonly used is ‘surviving the ground.’ A lot of people refer to that. So, as he’s going to the ground, he has the elements of two feet and control, but because he’s going to the ground, he has to maintain control of the ball when he does go to the ground.”
Henry was more open about the play after the game and disagreed with the officials’ decision.
“They called what they called,” he said after the game. “I believe I caught it. But, I mean, they made the call, and just gotta live with it. … They said it hit the ground, but my hand was under it—I believe my hand was under the ball. The hand was under the ball with it hitting the ground, that’s what kind of caused [the ball] to jump up.”
With the loss, New England fell to 6–5, good for last place in the AFC East and one spot out of the wild card in the AFC.
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