DEN@DAL: The epitome of lame

This almost comical play provides a glaring example of why the break-the-plane rule is so insulting to fans who are drawn to  football for its promise of excitement, imaginative play design and high-level athleticism.

On third-and-goal from inside the 1, Denver’s Teddy Bridgewater runs into a stone wall on his attempt at a QB sneak. He grinds, he wriggles, he squirms (see the overhead replay), and he goes nowhere. The defense has clearly won this battle.

In desperation, knowing he’s got the break-the-plane rule in his pocket, and before refs whistle the play over, Bridgewater reaches the ball overhead toward the end zone. Cowboys FS Malik Hooker promptly swats it loose and should have a shot at returning it for a potential score, which Dallas, trailing 19-0 at this point, could really use. 

But no! Bridgewater’s minimal incursion into the end zone’s airspace is considered a touchdown. “There it is,” Fox announcer Kevin Burkhardt says during the replay. “Right there is all he needed.”

Analyst Greg Olsen responds the way we imagine many viewers reacted: “Wow.” Meaning either “What a crafty move by a QB who lacks the surge strength to bust through the line,” or “How is that possible?” We’re in the latter camp. No way, no how should this be a touchdown. Yet somehow it is. What a head-shaker. Hocus Bogus rating: 5

ATL@NO: A total reach

We’re not faulting New Orleans WR Kenny Stills for taking advantage of what the rules give him. We just think the break-the-plane rule is dreadful, and this is a prime example of why.

Stills, wrapped up at the 1 by Atlanta CB Fabian Moreau, makes the sagacious decision to extend the ball toward the goal line and hope he can poke a fragment of the end zone’s airspace. He accomplishes that. He gets six points even though he did not contact the end zone. He never really got that close to it. He just waved at it and barely got the ball and his hands above the goal line.

“That is clearly a touchdown,” Fox analyst Jonathan Vilma says during the replay. Well, maybe when judged according to existing break-the-plane thinking. But maybe fans, who over time have simply become hypnotized into thinking this rationale is acceptable, just concede nothing that can be done to change it. This website is an effort to enact such a change.

Think about it: In a game where physical prowess is a core factor in determining who emerges as the victor, is this really worthy of six points? We say no. No thank you. Rating: 5

(Note to Saints fans: Had Stills been ruled down at the 1 (as we would have called it), it would have been third-and-1 or first-and-goal. A touchdown seemed inevitable. That would have taken more time off the clock and given New Orleans a 25-24 lead with less than a minute to play.

Instead, Stills was awarded a touchdown with 1:01 remaining. That left the Falcons enough time to drive down the field and bring on Younghoe Koo to kick a game-winning 29-yard field goal on the game’s final play. With less time, maybe that would not have happened. But it did; Falcons win 27-25.)