If the Chiefs had lost to the Bills on Sunday, the focal point quite possibly would have been the application of an illogical (for many) rule that robbed Kansas City of the ball while the Chiefs were on the doorstep of a potential 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
On first and goal from the three, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes flipped the ball to receiver Mecole Hardman on a misdirection play. Hardman, while falling to the ground short of the end zone, lost possession of the ball. It bounced into and out of the end zone.
The ruling on the field was that Hardman was down by contact. The Bills challenged. Although the evidence might not have been truly clear and obvious, the ruling was overturned. It was a fumble. Because it went out of the end zone without being recovered, the Bills got the ball at the 20, first and 10.
Many surely were confused by the situation. Many of the many millions who were watching the game surely weren’t aware of the rule. Many of those were surely dismayed by the nonsensical notion that the defense got the ball without recovering it.
In December, the league mentioned that the rule will be addressed in the offseason. While it applies equally to all teams (and it benefits every team that it screws), the question becomes whether it’s too punitive to flip possession and give the defense the ball at the 20, especially since if the ball had gone out of bounds short of the end zone the offense would have kept possession at the spot of the fumble.
Regardless, the rule is the rule and until the rule changes all players must be aware of it. That was the message from Chiefs coach Andy Reid when asked what he thinks of the rule.
“You can’t reach out,” Reid told reporters after the game. “[Hardman] was trying, so you give him the effort. But we know that you can’t do that down there, because of that reason. And so you’ve gotta protect that football, and he’ll be better for that.”
Reid is right. The rule is the rule until it’s no longer the rule. For now, trying to reach the ball across the goal line — especially near a sideline — carries a real risk. If you lose control and the ball bounces out of the end zone, the other team gets the ball at the 20.
Again, if the Chiefs had lost the game, it would have been a much bigger deal. Even without it impacting the outcome last night, it makes sense to ask whether there’s a more fair way to determine the aftermath of a moment like that.
The easiest solution is to just give the offense possession at the spot of the fumble. A fair compromise could be to give the defense the ball, not at the 20 but at the spot of the fumble.