NYG@JAX: Grown man plays peekaboo

Foreshadowing a similar (and more memorable) springboard-y move he would make in Week 16 against New York’s other team, the Jets,, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence flings himself over his O-line, briefly reaches the ball forward, then quickly recoils lest someone swats it out of his hands. It pains us to watch it.

Speaking of pain, Lawrence likely experienced some when he got drilled by Giants’ LB Tae Crowder as he floated momentarily in the end zone’s airspace. Nice stick, 48. This play call is so gimmicky, so utterly lame, it’s only right that payback came when kicker Riley Patterson had his PAT try blocked. Karma.

If you are one of the 17 people (our estimate) who really, really love the break-the-plane rule, may you one day be required to watch this play on a continuous loop for many hours. Then see how much you love it. Hocus Bogus rating: 5

HOU@LV: “Did he get there . . . ?’

This pylon-wave over, regrettably ruled a score, looked so unconvincing that play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel waited six seconds after he asked “Did he get there?” before he finally said “Touchdown.” It’s understandable to us why he needed some extra time.

Unable to beat a number of defenders to the end zone, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs elects to avoid the end zone altogether and exploit the folly of the break-the-plane rule. He can just wave the ball at the pylon and let his momentum carry him out of bounds as he passes the goal line. This essentially creates a wider scoring area than the customary end zone (53 yards and one foot).

Clever. But so unrewarding to watch. Rating: 4

CLE@BAL: Defense can’t get a break

Here the Cleveland defense keeps Ravens RB Gus Edwards (35) from making contact with the end zone. That, to us, is a unit doing its job.

Nevertheless, because Edwards’ torso briefly leaned over the goal line, the play is over. He has scored. An emphatic, triumphant moment of football excellence? 

Hardly. Call us dreamers, but we believe ball carriers should be required to actually contact the end zone, not just wallow in its airspace, in order to be awarded a heaping helping of six points. Rating: 4

NO@AZ: Almost a TD (by our rule)

This is close. But refs are obliged to keep the letter of the law, and if our proposed rule was in effect, this play, where Arizona’s Eno Benjamin lands on his backside just a moment before the ball hits the goal line. So, alas, it is not a touchdown.

Fans have become accustomed to (we say inured by) the break-the-plane rule, and some will say we’re being too strict. We just want to maintain the new standard our rule would set: to earn a touchdown, a ball-carrier must make his first point of contact IN the end zone or ON the goal line.

That did not happen here. Mighty close. But he’s not in, just as this play was originally called on the field. Rating: 1