NFL rules expert’s explanation on why Jared Goff’s pass was incomplete will make Saints fans even more furious than before
It sure seemed like the New Orleans Saints got robbed of a scoop-and-score that would have helped complete a crazy comeback over the Detroit Lions, but if you listen to NFL on FOX rules expert Mike Pereira, it was the right call.
The New Orleans Saints may have been robbed of a comeback victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and NFL on Fox rules expert Mike Pereira’s explanation only makes it worse. The controversial call involved a Jared Goff pass attempt that was swatted out of his hand, appeared to travel backwards, and was scooped up by the Saints for what looked like a momentum-shifting touchdown. Instead, officials ruled it an incomplete pass, and the reasoning behind that ruling is enough to make any New Orleans fan’s blood boil.
Pereira explained that the call came down to intent. Because Goff was trying to throw the ball downfield, because his arm was moving forward, the play was ruled an incomplete pass. It didn’t matter where the football actually went. It didn’t matter what angle his arm was at when contact was made. Pereira said the intent to throw a forward pass made it incomplete.
The ‘intent’ argument falls apart under scrutiny
The logic here is fundamentally flawed. If intent is the standard by which we judge these plays, the entire rulebook starts to unravel. If a quarterback intends to throw a touchdown and it gets intercepted, does the offense get six points because the quarterback meant to complete the pass? Of course not. The result of the play is what matters, not what the player hoped would happen.
Whether Goff’s arm was moving slightly forward is almost beside the point. The ball went backwards. A backward pass, a lateral that doesn’t travel forward, is a live ball when it hits the ground. Anyone can pick it up. The Saints did exactly that and ran it in for a score. The play should have stood.
New Orleans deserved better than this explanation
The Saints didn’t just get robbed of a touchdown. They got robbed of a legitimate explanation. Pereira’s breakdown, rather than providing clarity, only muddied the waters further. A rules expert is supposed to offer an unbiased interpretation of what happened on the field. Instead, Saints fans got a justification that doesn’t hold up to basic logical scrutiny.
For a game that could have swung entirely in New Orleans’ favor, this is a brutal pill to swallow. What would have been a tremendous comeback victory against Detroit turned into another entry in the long list of questionable officiating decisions that have gone against the Saints over the years.
The bottom line is this: the ball went backwards, a Saints defender recovered it and scored, and the officials took it away based on a standard that, if applied consistently, would produce absurd results across the league. It’s only Week 1, but New Orleans already has a legitimate grievance with the way this season has started.
