Why Joshua Dobbs' fumble in Titans-Jags sparked heated debate, and why officials made the right call

Joe Rivera

•
Why Joshua Dobbs' fumble in Titans-Jags sparked heated debate, and why officials made the right call image

The makers of "What is a catch?" now present "What is a fumble?"

Saturday night's AFC South-deciding matchup between the Titans and Jaguars came down to a critical turnover in the fourth quarter, but some didn't think it was a turnover at all.

MORE: Updated NFL standings, playoff picture for Week 18

As Titans quarterback Joshua Dobbs loaded up to throw a pass on third down, Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins came off the edge on a blitz and dislodged the ball — which ended up 10 yards downfield — gifting Josh Allen a scoop-and-score touchdown to give the Jaguars the lead.

The NFL rulebook doesn't seem to consider this play a forward pass. Per Rule 8, Section 1, Article 1, Item 1: 

When a player is in control of the ball and is attempting to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass.

The key wording here is "in control of the ball." At minimum, this was a razor-thin call: In frame-by-frame slow motion, it appeared as if Dobbs was just about to throw and the ball appeared to be out of his control at that point.

Dobbs' hand being in contact with the ball does not mean that he had control of the ball, hence the fumble call. That's also why the ball made it 10 yards downfield and made the call so tricky.

MORE: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & ESPN crew pay tribute to Damar Hamlin with small, but poignant, gesture

The play went to an automatic review as both a turnover and a scoring play, and the fumble was, somewhat surprisingly, rapidly confirmed by replay officials. The score would hold at 20-16, and the Jaguars would clinch the AFC South. 

"I felt like I was going forward, but the refs have got to make a call, you know," Dobbs told reporters after the game. "Personally, I wish I got the ball off a little quicker."

As is the case with any close call in the NFL, debate ensued: Some viewers weren't convinced that it was a fumble.

In any case, the Jaguars are set to make their first playoff appearance in the Trevor Lawrence era, while Jenkins got himself some sweet redemption after getting stiff-armed to hell by Derrick Henry.

Joe Rivera

Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.