Watch: Lions beat Eagles after controversial ruling on fumble
A late fumble by Eagles running back Ryan Mathews allowed the Lions to come back and win the game, but the referees may have missed a key aspect of the call.
Mathews fumbled near the sideline on a third-down run and the ball was recovered by the Lions. After a lengthy review, the call on the field was upheld.
If you look closely at the end of the clip, however, you can see the ball roll over Jason Kelce’s legs as his upper body is out of bounds.
• Carson Wentz finally had a rookie moment, and the Eagles lost to Detroit
Under NFL rule 3.21, a ball that touches a player who is out of bounds is considered out of bounds. This is the same rule that Packers return man Ty Montgomery used to gain 40 yards of field position on a kickoff in Week 3.
After the fumble recovery, the Lions took advantage of the short field and Matt Prater kicked a game-winning 29-yard field goal. Carson Wentz’s interception on the first play of the ensuing Eagles drive effectively ended the game.
