BAL@BUF: Quite a reach

We acknowledge that, based on existing standards, this IS a touchdown. Once the forward progress of the ball breaks the Great Invisible Plane and punctures the unseen ether hovering above the end zone, the play is over. Give the man with the flailing, outstretched arm six points.

But does that seem right? Did Buffalo’s Josh Allen have serious intent to actually reach the end zone? Or was he simply trying to exploit the loophole made possible by the break-the-plane rule? The apparent strategy: Just go all Swan Lake with an arabesque leap toward the goal line and hope that the arm attached to his 6-foot-5 frame has enough momentum to extend the ball, if only for a moment, into the end zone’s airspace. Lame.

Did Allen Allen ever touch the end zone? Only after he fumbled. Is this an exciting play to watch? Hardly. It’s a total sham. Hocus Bogus Rating: 4.5

AZ@DAL: Reaching out (of bounds)

Again, this IS a touchdown when judged by existing standards. Arizona’s Tyler Allgeier briefly broke the plane a split-second before his left fingers touched the sideline. After this, he and the ball flew over the end zone and landed out of bounds, never touching paydirt. We believe contacting the end zone should be a fundamental requirement of earning six points. Believers of the break-the-plane rule do not. That, to us, seems like flawed thinking. Rating: 4

CHI@SEA: Corner cutting

Did Chicago’s D’Andre Swift break the plane on this play that extended the Bears’ fourth-quarter lead to 10 points with less than nine minutes to play? Yes, though we’re not entirely sure if the ball did. No matter. Nor does it matter that Swift landed out of bounds on his first step beyone the goal line.

The break-the-plane rule is all about making it as easy as possible to put points on the scoreboard, no matter how curious the concept behind the rule. Rating: 3.5

College: You’ll flip over this

We can’t keep up with all the no-touch touchdowns that occur in college football. Yet the high-absurdity value of this one, however, seemed worthy of mentioning. Israel Hiraldo of Western Illinois zooms high above the pylon before he crashes out of bounds, completely bypassing the end zone. Naturally, that’s worth six points. Rating: 5