In Week 3 of their matchup against the Detroit Lions, the Arizona Cardinals believed they had taken the lead just before halftime.
With under two minutes remaining in the second quarter, Lions quarterback Jared Goff was pressured and threw an interception to Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson, who sprinted down the field for what appeared to be a game-changing pick-six.
An extra point would have given the Cardinals a 14-13 lead just before the half, with Arizona set to receive the ball after the break, potentially shifting the momentum firmly in their favor.
However, the play was nullified. Officials ruled that the snap had occurred after the clock hit the two-minute warning, blowing the play dead. Replays suggested otherwise, but because the whistle had blown, the Cardinals had no option to challenge the call.
Fans and commentators alike were stunned, with NFL analyst Sam Monson tweeting, “Oh, the Cardinals just got SCREWED!! Pick 6 off pressure, officials claimed the 2-minute warning hit first. Ball clearly snapped before it hit 2:00.”
Referee Brad Rogers addressed the controversial decision after the game, explaining the mechanics behind the call:
“Mechanically, we have an official watching the clock. He ruled that the clock had hit two minutes when the ball was snapped, and by rule, the play is dead at that point.
We started blowing whistles to kill the play, but some players kept going because they couldn’t hear the whistles. Once we blow the whistle, the play is over.”
When asked why this situation differed from a typical play clock situation where the ball is often snapped as the clock reaches zero, Rogers clarified, “On the game clock, we aim to be 100 percent precise.
When it shows two minutes, we stop it. The side judge is responsible for monitoring the clock and communicates to the team when the two-minute mark is reached.”
Despite the frustrating sequence, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon refused to place blame on the officiating. “They call what they call,” Gannon said in his post-game press conference.
Following the overturned interception, the Lions capitalized on the reprieve, driving down the field and extending their lead to 20-7 just before halftime. Detroit ultimately secured a 20-13 victory.
When asked whether the emotional impact of the play affected the team, Gannon responded, “Yeah, but our guys are psychologically trained to handle those things.
It’s an uncontrollable for us. What we can control is playing defense. They hit us with a well-designed play, but when we came in at halftime, no one was down.
Everyone knew what we needed to do, and I thought the defense played extremely well in the second half to give us a chance.”
Ultimately, the Cardinals were unable to overcome the Lions’ lead, but the controversial decision before halftime left fans and analysts questioning what could have been.
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