Officiating video: use-of-the-helmet rule, legal jumping, and ball out of bounds in the end zone

Senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron released the week 13 officiating video today. (video below)

In it he covered the use of the helmet rule and a foul that should’ve been called in the Raiders at Ravens game. Raiders running back Doug Martin lowered his helmet to initiate contact with an opponent as he turned up field. He created a linear body position and initiated contact with his helmet. It’s important to note that lowering helmet to initiate contact is a foul by any player anywhere on the field, whether on offense or defense.

Quarterback slides were also covered and in the example from the Bears at Lions game, Bears quarterback Chase Daniels slid late as he broke from the pocket and down the sideline. On his slide, he took a hit to the head from the shoulder of the Lions defender. Quarterbacks who slide late give up some protections but one thing the rules protect them from is forcible contact to the head or neck area.

Defenders may jump over the offensive line on PAT or field goal attempts if they are stationary on the line of scrimmage and not covering the center. 

On a play in the Broncos-Steelers game we covered at length in our week 12 quick calls thread, a Broncos defender hit a Steelers receiver who then fumbled the ball out of the end zone. The receiver had not yet broken the plane of the end zone and did not regain possession before the ball went out of bounds. The call is a touchback since the offensive player put the ball into the end zone and out of bounds.

In an illegal touching scenario, Packers receiver Devante Adams caught pass after having stepped out of bounds. He stepped on the sideline, reestablished in bounds by getting two feet down and then caught the pass.  However, after reestablishing, the receiver may not be the first player to touch the ball. The play was technically not called correctly, as a flag should have been thrown, but either call nets the same result. This should have been flagged and enforced as a loss of down. The covering official felt Adams had not reestablished his feet in bounds and caught the pass, and the play was scored as an incomplete pass, also a loss of down.

And finally, emphasizing the catch process again, Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs did not complete the process of the catch in the end zone because he did not complete the time element of the rule by performing a “football act.” He gained possession and got two feet down, but as he hit the ground the ball came out. The play was ruled incomplete.