KC@LV: Is this really worth 6 points?

True, according to existing rules, the ball in Kenneth Walker’s left hand broke the front plane of the end zone and thus qualified for a touchdown. His hand passed just inside the pylon when he zoomed past it after being pushed toward the sideline by the Raiders’ safety Treydan Stukes (31).

Yet he never touched the end zone. In our view, this means Stukes won the play. We believe if the defense prevents you from contacting the end zone, you don’t deserve six points.

It’s true that existing rules apply a ball’s forward progress to determine how far the ballcarrier advanced the ball. Thus jabbing the ball into the end zone’s airspace is considered good enough for a touchdown.

We think the end zone is a different part of the field of play and should require a higher standard of accomplishment when six points are on the line. For a touchdown to be awarded, we believe the ballcarrier should make contact with the designated scoring area (i.e., the end zone) and the ball should be in his possession. A high payout should demand a strong performance. Simply floating the ball though the end zone’s airspace sets the bar too low. Far too low. Hocus Bogus Rating: 4.5

AZ@NYG: Extra-wide end zone

Did the ballcarrier make contact with the end zone? That, we believe, should be the fundamental question to be answered when assessing a potential scoring play? Here, Arizona’s Tyler Allgeier does not. He passes through the end zone’s airspace after breaking the goal line’s invisible plane. But to earn six points, we think a ballcarrier has got to do better than that. Rating: 3.5

JAX@CIN: Stood up, pushed back

Which unit wins this play? The Jaguars’ defensive wall, or the Bengals’ offensive line and the modest push forward it generates. Quarterback Joe Burrow manages a brief lean into the end zone’s airspace, but never convincingly breaks through. Thus this is merely a touchdown by technicality, an uninspiring play made possible by what we regard as a flawed rule. Fans deserve better. Rating: 3.5