NBC Rules Analyst Says Officials Erred by Nullifying Key Jaguars TD vs. Ravens

NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay felt that the officials missed a call that would have given the Jaguars, who lost to the Ravens 23—7 on Sunday night, a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. 

Jacksonville drove 55 yards down the field into the red zone, where quarterback Trevor Lawrence fired a pass intended for Calvin Ridley to the back of the end zone. Ridley bobbled the ball as he was heading out of bounds, and officials ruled it an incomplete pass. 

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson challenged the call—and ultimately lost. But McAulay did not agree with the league’s replay officials, who told him the call was not “clear and obvious.” 

McAulay said he thought Ridley had control of the ball with a knee down in bounds, which would have been a touchdown. But the officials on the field did not see it that way, ruling that Ridley didn’t secure control of the ball while his body was in bounds. And the league’s replay review crew in New York upheld the call.

It certainly was a close call—and there’s no way of knowing the effect it would have had on the game, though the Jaguars only had themselves to blame for a red zone opportunity they squandered right before halftime. 

Ultimately, Ridley’s near-touchdown is just the latest example of NFL officials being placed under the microscope for all to see.