16 Games, Sept. 29/Oct. 2/3, 2022 (notable: 5 pick sixes this week)

5555 +2/232\

Week 4: 85 touchdowns, 5 ATDs

 

CLE@ATL: Convincing? Or just a con?

Seven, maybe eight pebbles on the football caught a tiny fragment of end zone airspace during this pylon wave-over by Atlanta’s Cordarrelle Patterson.

Even for people who cheerfully go along with the break-the-rule touchdowns, this one has got to be tough to accept. How on earth is this worth six points? Who thought calling this a touchdown is a good idea? Hocus Bogus rating: 4.5

Video and image: CBS Sports

LAC@HOU: Pound that pylon

These bang-the-pylon touchdowns remind us of cheesy carnival games. “Son, step right up and try yer luck at knockin’ down that great big orange stick.” QBs, RBs and WRs are all too happy to try, and here, because the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler utterly pancakes the pylon, he wins the big, big prize — six points. 

Only getting handed a touchdown for a pylon knockdown makes no sense to us since, as we routinely point out, pylons are positioned outside the field of play. That means they are out of bounds, and that means hitting one should indicate a runner is likewise out of bounds. He has failed the challenge of contacting the actual scoring area — the 4,797-square-foot end zone (i.e., 53.3 yds. x 10 yds.).

Applause for Texans’ DB Jonathan Owens (36) for forcing Ekeler wide of the end zone. Too bad he gets no credit for preventing a score. Rating: 4

Video and image: CBS Sports

NYJ@PIT: Bailing out a fumble

The Jets’ Breece Hall gets stripped of the ball by Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick  (39) the moment he reaches the goal line’s airspace. That is a huge break for Hall, since officials end a play the moment a break-the-plane touchdown is signaled.

In our view of the world, since Hall had not yet touched the end zone (our criterion for awarding a touchdown), the play was still in progress. So it would be a fumble, not a TD. It’s uncertain who recovered the loose ball. But the break-the-plane rule wiped a forced fumble for Fitzpatrick off the stat sheet. Rating: 4

Video and image: CBS Sports (ESPN edit)

NYJ@PIT: Nice try, but no touch

With second effort, Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett gets a yard deep into end zone airspace, but his feet never reach the end zone. So we would tell him nice try, but it’s now fourth-and-goal. Rating: 3

Video and image: CBS Sports

DEN@LV: A little short of the goal

In real time, we figured this was a legit TD, and using existing break-the-plane rationale, it is. But after inspecting the replays, we would call Denver’s Russell Wilson down inside the 2, where his knee touched while he was extending the ball across the goal line.

With our rule, to be awarded a touchdown a ball carrier must make first contact on the goal line or inside the end zone. Here Wilson makes contact in front of the goal line. Thus in our view it is second-and-goal. Rating: 1

Video and image: CBS Sports

How it should be: No doubt

In contrast to the not-so-great touchdowns we compile on this site, here the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs demonstrates how a ball carrier should handle business when they get close to the goal line. For fans, plays such as this are worth watching. Applause meter: 5

CBS Sports