In a heart-stopping finish, the Baltimore Ravens watched as their apparent touchdown turn into an incomplete pass with just 2:47 remaining in Sunday's divisional showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The crucial play was overturned on instant replay, leaving the Ravens without the go-ahead score that would have secured a victory.
Lamar Jackson connected with tight end Isaiah Likely in the end zone, and it appeared as though Likely had secured the catch by juggling the ball away from Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. However, officials deemed that Likely had not established control of the ball before Porter's outstretched hand knocked it loose.
NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth explained that a receiver must have control of the ball and both feet inbounds to complete a catch. In this case, Likely did meet those criteria, but the referee deemed that he didn't maintain possession long enough.
CBS broadcaster Tony Romo and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz initially called the play as a touchdown, saying it seemed like a clear catch by Likely. However, after reviewing the footage on instant replay, they agreed with officials' ruling that it was an incomplete pass.
The Ravens ultimately lost 27-22 to their divisional rivals, but a contentious call in a close game is sure to be debated long after Sunday's matchup has concluded.
Lamar Jackson connected with tight end Isaiah Likely in the end zone, and it appeared as though Likely had secured the catch by juggling the ball away from Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. However, officials deemed that Likely had not established control of the ball before Porter's outstretched hand knocked it loose.
NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth explained that a receiver must have control of the ball and both feet inbounds to complete a catch. In this case, Likely did meet those criteria, but the referee deemed that he didn't maintain possession long enough.
CBS broadcaster Tony Romo and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz initially called the play as a touchdown, saying it seemed like a clear catch by Likely. However, after reviewing the footage on instant replay, they agreed with officials' ruling that it was an incomplete pass.
The Ravens ultimately lost 27-22 to their divisional rivals, but a contentious call in a close game is sure to be debated long after Sunday's matchup has concluded.
The NFL is like my grandma - unpredictable and always up for a good debate! 
This call was like a bad joke - "Hey, let's turn a sure thing into a no-score!" 
Anyway, congrats to the Steelers on their W, and Ravens fans will just have to try harder next time... or just have another drink, am I right? 
I mean, i get it, accuracy is key and all that jazz, but can't they just make the calls already?! 
Lamar Jackson is getting robbed on that play... Isaiah Likely had control of the ball for like 2 seconds and you're telling me he didn't have "both feet inbounds"? 
come on! I'm sitting here watching this game thinking 'what a catch!' and then i see the replay and i'm like 'wait, what?'. it's just one of those calls that makes you wanna pull your hair out. 
i feel for the ravens, they were so close... but you know how replay works - it's all about the details 
. it's crazy how one little thing can change the whole game like that. i mean, isiah likely did have control of the ball, but apparently not long enough 
. and i get why the refs made the call, safety first and all that, but ugh it stings to watch in hindsight 
. the nfl needs to figure out a way to make replay more reliable, it's like they're still figuring it out 
. any way, on to next week... maybe they'll get it right 
... and on top of all this, you've got announcers like Tony Romo calling out the officials for making the wrong call 
. And don't even get me started on how it's always the smaller plays that get all the attention when it comes to instant replay 
. It's just so frustrating watching these high-stakes games and knowing the outcome is being dictated by a screen in the broadcast booth 
or feeling for those Ravens fans who were so close to celebrating that win 
. it's not just about the call, it's about the emotion and drama of it all... now I'm gonna be thinking about this play on repeat all week 
. mark butterworth is always going on about receivers needing to have both feet inbounds, but honestly, who has time to be like "oh no, my foot's just out of bounds"? it's not exactly rocket science 
. I mean, come on, it was a catch by all accounts 
. You can't win championships without a little bit of luck and callouts like this... or lack thereof 
!
and meanwhile, steeler fans are just celebrating like they won the superbowl 
. But at the same time, you gotta respect the officials' decision, it's not an easy call to make especially in a game as intense as this one 
. The NFL is all about instant replay now, so it's only fair that these kinds of calls get reviewed multiple times 
?
This is just another example of how the NFL can't seem to get the calls right